Embedding their appealing protagonist in a fully realized Caribbean setting, Callender has readers rooting for Caroline the...
Born during a storm, Caroline Murphy, a 12-year-old black girl, is convinced that she has been cursed with bad luck.
The old ladies around her way say this is the fate of any child born during a hurricane. Recent events in her life seem to confirm this. Feeling unwanted by everyone, especially since the abrupt departure of her mom, Caroline leads a difficult life. She is bullied by those at her school in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, including her teacher, for her skin, which is darker than theirs. She is also followed around by a spirit—the woman in black—that she is sure only she can see. The arrival of a new student from Barbados changes Caroline’s life significantly. Also bullied, the exuberantly dreadlocked Kalinda becomes Caroline’s first and only friend, and soon Caroline’s feelings blossom into something more than platonic. This spells problems for Caroline, since feelings like these are considered sinful in Catholic school. Caroline now must deal with growing up without a mother and her feelings for Kalinda, all while trying to figure out why the woman in black will not leave her alone. Her journey to the answers to her most burning questions finds her discovering much about herself and those around her. Writing in Caroline’s present-tense voice, Callender draws readers in and makes them identify with Caroline’s angst and sorrow and joy and pain.
Embedding their appealing protagonist in a fully realized Caribbean setting, Callender has readers rooting for Caroline the whole way. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-12930-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A school story with a twist, told with humor, insight, and empathy.
What does it mean to be human?
Mr. Aidact is the new teacher at Brightling Middle School. He immediately makes a strong impression when, despite having his back turned, he reaches out and catches a spitball the moment before it hits his head. This does not endear him to spitball-thrower Oliver Zahn, Brightling’s self-described foremost rule breaker and the first narrator in this tale told through multiple perspectives. Gifted student and field hockey player Rosalie Arnette, like many kids her age, is just trying to figure out how to negotiate the hallways and the middle school social structure. Nathan Popova, Oliver’s best friend, enjoys a good prank but doesn’t want to get in trouble, which is hard when your buddy actively goes looking for it. Steinke Newhouse—who really hates being called Stinky—feels his greatest talent is arguing, which regularly lands him in detention. Although Mr. Aidact seems to be very literal and to lack a sense of humor, he sees and gets each student, meeting them where they’re at. Is he too good to be true? Oliver and Nathan know something’s up—but the answer, which brings in AI and government experiments—surprises even them. Each viewpoint is distinct, and most characters are multifaceted. Most characters default to White.
A school story with a twist, told with humor, insight, and empathy. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-303279-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
Superbly written and illustrated; keeps readers breathless and guessing until the end.
A 22nd-century picaresque with nefarious characters, chosen family, unavoidable camping, and lifesaving butterflies.
It’s 2101, and most mammals have died from sun exposure—a fate the few remaining humans suffer if they don’t live underground as Deepers. Some Deepers are friendly; others will take what they can get by any means necessary. Since Elvie’s parents departed for Michoacán, Mexico, 8 years earlier in search of more monarch butterflies, ran into danger, and have not returned, 10-year-old Black science whiz Elvie has been cared for by her guardian, Flora, a White scientist. Flora and Elvie hope to make a vaccine that enables humans to tolerate sunlight. They struggle to find food, and Flora’s awful cooking sometimes makes their foraged food inedible. Elvie’s journals, which contain her homework, science notes, and sketches, trace their journey—including tracking their latitude and longitude daily—as they follow the amazing migration path of the monarchs, whose young have the ingredient necessary for making both the sun sickness antidote and the vaccine. The eclecticism of Case’s lively visuals in this riveting graphic novel will keep readers both enthralled and learning. The book teaches some astronomy, botany, biology, entomology, animal science, knot tying, and more. Elvie’s special relationship with Flora, along with her quick wit, scientific knowledge, and careful observation skills, makes her a character worth following. Yet she’s all kid—and one who badly wants to be reunited with her parents.
Superbly written and illustrated; keeps readers breathless and guessing until the end. (author's note) (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4260-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
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