A warm and insightful exploration into the nature of grief and healing.
After the sudden death of her mama in 1921 Saskatchewan, Lucy is afraid that her memory will be erased by a new housekeeper.
Thirteen-year-old Lucy Barber is determined to fill Mama’s role. Only by learning to do her chores does Lucy feel that Mama is close. First, Aunt Faye visits and interferes with the household; then Papa hires Mrs. Jenkins, who introduces new routines, sparking Lucy’s resentment. Worse, 5-year-old Teddy is forgetting Mama and latching on to Mrs. Jenkins instead. Papa and Tom, Lucy’s older brother, don’t notice the changes—Papa is immersed in work, and Tom seems to be hiding something suspicious and is hanging out with a friend Lucy doesn’t care for. Further disrupting the family equilibrium, Papa blames Uncle Ed for the fire that caused Mama’s death. Lucy is determined to drive Mrs. Jenkins away, keep Tom out of trouble, and bring her family together, but when she goes too far, the consequences aren’t what she desired. Details about farm life, domestic routines, and Prohibition firmly establish the rural historical setting, while Lucy’s emotional struggles will resonate with a contemporary audience. Lucy is equal parts fragile and fierce as she tries to deal with her grief, and her misguided attempts to keep life from changing are both understandable and heartbreaking. Ultimately, the knowledge that she isn’t alone in her experience helps Lucy move forward. The cast presents white.
A warm and insightful exploration into the nature of grief and healing. (author interview) (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780889957497
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Red Deer Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Quirky and imaginative—postmodern storytelling at its best.
Friendly curiosity and a gift for naming earn a polar bear an assortment of (mostly animal) friends, adventures, mishaps, and discoveries.
Arriving at a northern ocean, Duane spies a shipwreck. Swimming out to investigate, he meets its lone occupant, C.C., a learned snowy owl whose noble goal is acquiring knowledge to apply “toward the benefit of all.” Informing Duane that he’s a polar bear, she points out a nearby cave that might suit him—it even has a mattress. Adding furnishings from the wreck—the grandfather clock’s handless, but who needs to tell time when it’s always now?—he meets a self-involved musk ox, entranced by his own reflection, who’s delighted when Duane names him “Handsome.” As he comes to understand, then appreciate their considerable diversity, Duane brings out the best in his new friends. C.C., who has difficulty reading emotions and dislikes being touched, evokes the autism spectrum. Magic, a bouncy, impulsive arctic fox, manifests ADHD. Major Puff, whose proud puffin ancestry involves courageous retreats from danger, finds a perfect companion in Twitch, a risk-aware, common-sensical hare. As illustrated, Sun Girl, a human child, appears vaguely Native, and Squint, a painter, white, but they’re sui generis: The Canadian author avoids referencing human culture. The art conveys warmth in an icy setting; animal characters suggest beloved stuffed toys, gently reinforcing the message that friendship founded on tolerance breeds comfort and safety.
Quirky and imaginative—postmodern storytelling at its best. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3341-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel.
Sandy and his family, Japanese Canadians, experience hatred and incarceration during World War II.
Sandy Saito loves baseball, and the Vancouver Asahi ballplayers are his heroes. But when they lose in the 1941 semifinals, Sandy’s dad calls it a bad omen. Sure enough, in December 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor in the U.S. The Canadian government begins to ban Japanese people from certain areas, moving them to “dormitories” and setting a curfew. Sandy wants to spend time with his father, but as a doctor, his dad is busy, often sneaking out past curfew to work. One night Papa is taken to “where he [is] needed most,” and the family is forced into an internment camp. Life at the camp isn’t easy, and even with some of the Asahi players playing ball there, it just isn’t the same. Trying to understand and find joy again, Sandy struggles with his new reality and relationship with his father. Based on the true experiences of Japanese Canadians and the Vancouver Asahi team, this graphic novel is a glimpse of how their lives were affected by WWII. The end is a bit abrupt, but it’s still an inspiring and sweet look at how baseball helped them through hardship. The illustrations are all in a sepia tone, giving it an antique look and conveying the emotions and struggles. None of the illustrations of their experiences are overly graphic, making it a good introduction to this upsetting topic for middle-grade readers.
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel. (afterword, further resources) (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0334-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
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