Insurmountably derivative.
A mysterious evil preys on the fears of a group of kids.
The notes mysteriously arrive on Halloween, instructing eighth graders April (fat and bullied, likely white); her best friend, Andres (gay and Latinx); their former friend–turned–class bully Caroline (white); and unpopular ninth grader Deshaun (black) to go to the cemetery at midnight. Deshaun’s popular best friend, Kyle (white and gay), tags along, and the group converges on a mysterious gravesite—it’s old but also has been recently vandalized, and the dirt looks freshly disturbed. They feel compelled to dig, until they unearth a tin and hope that’s the end of a prank. But it’s no prank, and they find themselves haunted by their individual greatest fears—and in between the personalized hauntings, the malicious entity assumes the form of April’s greatest fear, a clown, which menaces, waves at, and taunts the kids. While the target audience is—by age rating—too young to have had direct exposure to Stephen King’s novel IT (1986) and its past and present cinematic adaptations, many will be familiar enough with the premise to recognize the glaring similarities. The narration alternates among the five characters, with their voices for the most part sounding all too similar. The parts dealing with the evil entity are scary without being graphic; the most effective subplot deals with an abusive home life situation. The unsatisfying ending leaves too many questions unanswered.
Insurmountably derivative. (Horror. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-57717-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
A Yule slog.
Santa’s looking for a successor…time for a Christmas contest of epic proportions.
Ollie and his best friend, Celia, are 11-year-old elves (if they were humans, he’d be white and she’d be black) who work in Games & Puzzles when the current Santa Claus—Matt Claus—announces a contest for persons under 16 to vie to become the next Santa. Ollie and Celia join a motley crew of Clauses, humans, and elves as contestants in a monthlong competition. The first contest—sneaking past giant, fire-breathing robot toddlers to deliver wish letters to the proper departments—winnows down the field. Can the best friends hold on to their Christmas cheer and prevail through 10 more wacky Christmas contests? Huett’s debut is an idea with potential buried under an avalanche of unnecessary scenes and stock characters in Christmas costumes. The contestants routinely break the rules of the competition, and the contests themselves at time run counter to the stated goal of finding the best next Santa (as in one that features random elimination). Ramp, an obviously elderly Claus relative, masquerades as a teenager to enter, and his attempts at kidspeak, never particularly funny, grow tiresome. Ollie’s wide-eyed excitement and sweetness are cloying out of the gate, and his naiveté stretches credulity.
A Yule slog. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-05214-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
A light holiday read with little mystery or development but a lot of happy endings.
This quick tale of generosity is as warm and simple as a Christmas postcard.
As the calendar counts down to Christmas in the idyllic little town of Pine River, four children hang their wishes on the Angel Tree, a tradition in which an anonymous benefactor and the close-knit residents pool their resources to help one another. The kids are sugar-cookie cutouts: Lucy, a timid blind girl whose family can’t afford her guide dog’s cancer treatment; class clown Max, who lost his house in a fire; Joe, “the most hated kid in Pine River,” whose only parent—a Marine—can’t be home for Christmas; and Cami, a violinist who can’t seem to make her grandmother proud. When the kids’ wishes are granted, Cami decides that they should work together to find “GB”—the “Great Benefactor” who started the tradition—to say thanks. Questioning kindly adults, the kids learn confidence and tolerance as they discover the story behind the tree. Mentions of cellphones and Harry Potter DVDs feel almost anachronistic against Pine River’s folksy charm. The kids seem younger than they are, and their dialogue often sounds unrealistic, but their innocence might appeal to readers who want a winter break from typical middle school drama.
A light holiday read with little mystery or development but a lot of happy endings. (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-61378-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
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