A thrilling head-rush of an adventure.
Robison’s debut novel follows a runaway on a fast-paced adventure.
After fleeing her foster home, Kit finds a none-too-warm welcome in the big city. On the surprisingly mean streets of Winnipeg, she’s shanghaied into selling fake identification. In too-quick succession, she runs from the cops, witnesses the murder of her own lookalike, becomes the victim of a kidnapping and gets stranded in the wilderness. She finds her way to a secret training camp, where all the campers can fly, and where no one knows who she is. Assuming the identity of a murdered girl, Kit adjusts to this strange, unfamiliar Native American tribe. The book packs the plot of three novels into one, leaping from one tragic episode to the next. Sometimes the story moves forward at the expense of certain plotlines, even cutting off a promising love triangle only to cram in more explosions. The narrative flows well, although it’s fractured and, at times, soap opera–esque. Robison clearly conveys a complicated storyline, despite the jarring transition from an almost post-apocalyptic, nightmarish cityscape to tribal forests and hidden mountains. The breakneck pace becomes tiring, but it also flatters her brave heroine, creating a character whom readers will cheer on. Kit’s apparent ignorance concerning her past—or perhaps her unwillingness to divulge it to the reader—is irksome. Some features of the novel, like the flowery descriptions or the hard-to-believe plotline, can annoy readers, but the novel presents an intriguing adventure with more than enough twists and turns to hold interest. Much like her character, the debut takes flight, leaving readers eager for the next installment.
A thrilling head-rush of an adventure.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2012
ISBN: 978-0985046514
Page Count: 276
Publisher: Quil Books, Inc.
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More gift book than storybook, this is a meaningful addition to nursery bookshelves
A young child explores the unlimited potential inherent in all humans.
“Have you ever wondered why you are here?” asks the second-person narration. There is no one like you. Maybe you’re here to make a difference with your uniqueness; maybe you will speak for those who can’t or use your gifts to shine a light into the darkness. The no-frills, unrhymed narrative encourages readers to follow their hearts and tap into their limitless potential to be anything and do anything. The precisely inked and colored artwork plays with perspective from the first double-page spread, in which the child contemplates a mountain (or maybe an iceberg) in their hands. Later, they stand on a ladder to place white spots on tall, red mushrooms. The oversized flora and fauna seem to symbolize the presumptively insurmountable, reinforcing the book’s message that anything is possible. This quiet read, with its sophisticated central question, encourages children to reach for their untapped potential while reminding them it won’t be easy—they will make messes and mistakes—but the magic within can help overcome falls and failures. It’s unlikely that members of the intended audience have begun to wonder about their life’s purpose, but this life-affirming mood piece has honorable intentions. The child, accompanied by an adorable piglet and sporting overalls and a bird-beaked cap made of leaves, presents white.
More gift book than storybook, this is a meaningful addition to nursery bookshelves . (Picture book. 2-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-946873-75-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
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