Agatha is distinctive, funny, and engaging.
Agatha Parrot is a sprightly kind of girl.
When her older brother, James, receives an email from a cousin he barely knows that ends, “Love from Bella,” he can’t figure out how to answer. Love from a girl? Agatha steps in and solves the problem, fashioning a response that could embarrass James—if he knew about it. More emails follow, ramping up to a notable level of romantic silliness. Bella turns out to be a useful source of words to help Agatha’s friends try to make it onto the spelling team at school, although none of them seem to recognize, at first, that having advance access to the test words is wrong. When they finally make the connection, they’re quick to change their behavior, although telling a fib along the way doesn’t seem to be a problem for them. Frizzy-haired, exuberant, white Agatha relates her large-print, double-spaced tale with ample good humor and an occasional tinge of genial sarcasm that adds a saucy (and realistic) dimension to her character. An illustration of her gang reveals that one of the girls, Bianca, has dark skin, and another, Ivy, may be Asian, but there is nothing in the text to confirm their racial identities. The simple prose, lively illustrations, and upbeat plot combine to make this an appealing choice for newly independent readers.
Agatha is distinctive, funny, and engaging. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-50876-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
Plenty of baseball action, but the paint-by-numbers plot is just a vehicle for equally standard-issue advice. .
For his eponymous imprint, the New York Yankees star leads off with a self-referential tale of Little League triumphs.
In the first of a projected 10 episodes based on the same number of “Life Lessons” espoused by the lead author’s Turn 2 Foundation, third-grader Derek turns in an essay announcing that his dream is to play shortstop for the New York Yankees (No. 1 on the Turn 2 list: “Set your goals high”). His parents take him seriously enough not only to present him with a “contract” that promises rewards for behaviors like working hard and avoiding alcohol and drugs, but also to put a flea in the ear of his teacher after she gives him a B-minus on the essay for being unrealistic. Derek then goes on to pull up his math grade. He also proceeds to pull off brilliant plays for his new Little League team despite finding himself stuck at second base while the coach’s son makes multiple bad decisions at shortstop and, worse, publicly puts down other team members. Jeter serves as his own best example of the chosen theme’s theoretical validity, but as he never acknowledges that making the majors (in any sport) requires uncommon physical talent as well as ambition and determination, this values-driven pitch is well out of the strike zone.
Plenty of baseball action, but the paint-by-numbers plot is just a vehicle for equally standard-issue advice. . (foundation ad and curriculum guide, not seen) (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2312-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Jeter/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
Parents and (more likely) grandparents who want to introduce children to their favorite band would do better to play a song...
Many adult readers will agree wholeheartedly with the title of this heartfelt paean to the Fab Four, but unfortunately, Krull and Brewer don’t quite manage to offer enough evidence to effectively convey to children the Beatles’ unique appeal and immense contributions to pop culture.
The narrative is straightforward. From their early years in Liverpool through their first big hit, the rapturous response they received in the U.S. and their eventual decision to go their separate ways, the trajectory of the Beatles’ incredible success is clearly plotted. Quirky details suggest that serious research informs the text. Unfortunately some sweeping statements may leave young listeners wondering just why the Beatles were considered “so cool, so funny, so fab.” Innerst’s accomplished acrylic-and-ink illustrations also seem more geared toward nostalgic adults. Exaggerated features and odd perspectives abound. Visual jokes and references enrich the paintings and extend the text, as when the band appears on a roller coaster formed by a guitar case plastered with stickers, but will almost certainly go over the heads of the intended audience.
Parents and (more likely) grandparents who want to introduce children to their favorite band would do better to play a song or two on whatever device is handy—though as Brewer and Krull note, the transformative impact of the Beatles was such that kids may not even recognize the originality of their music. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-50991-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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