A cozy whodunit that cheerfully affirms girls’ and women’s contributions to aerospace.
Six girls spend the night at Amelia Earhart’s childhood home and end up in the middle of a robbery.
When 11-year-old Amelia, nicknamed Millie, gets to the home of the eponymous aviator, she stumbles upon an incredible artifact: the goggles Earhart wore on her solo flight across the Atlantic. Not long afterward, however, the goggles go missing. Millie’s determination both to find them and to reach out to her absent pilot mother is endearing; even more so is the friendship that develops among Millie and the other five girls as they work to solve the mystery. Though shy, anxious Millie narrates, by the time she comes into her sarcastic own all six girls cohere into a charming ensemble cast. From Thea, the girl who builds and rides motorcycles with her auntie, to the generous turkey-truck driver who rescues Millie and her dad, the novel presents a suite of characters who, as Thea would say, “are like cake. [They] have layers.” Narrator Amelia notes skin color only for those characters with dark skin; others’ descriptions only go as far as hair color, evidently relying on the white default. Due honor is given to trailblazing Deaf pilot Nellie Zabel Willhite and black and Native pilot Bessie Coleman. An author’s note adds fascinating context on Earhart’s real story.
A cozy whodunit that cheerfully affirms girls’ and women’s contributions to aerospace. (reading list, author’s note, selected sources) (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: June 30, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1885-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A rip-roaring tale; even rodent haters will have to like Malcolm.
Malcolm is a small rat who is often mistaken for a mouse, which is both a blessing and a curse.
As a fifth-grade “mouse” pet he has a comfortable cage, good food and a classroom full of interesting kids, and, amazingly, Malcolm discovers he can read! During nighttime explorations, he becomes part of the Midnight Academy, a group of varied creatures who are also classroom pets. They speak and have several sophisticated means of communication utilizing school bells, secret codes and even cellphones and computers. But there is a prowling, vicious rogue cat, and there have been thefts, disappearances and cases of vandalism. Malcolm is at the center of it all, always under suspicion but determined to use his rat abilities to act honorably. What follows is a breathless, exciting tale of adventure, danger, betrayal, twists and surprises. Beck unfolds the events in the form of an anonymous note to teacher Mr. Binney detailing Malcolm’s journey, with clever and sometimes hilarious asides in the form of footnotes. Meditations on the nature of power and friendship are subtly and seamlessly woven within the plot. Lies’ meticulously detailed illustrations in endless varieties of gray depict the highlights of Malcolm’s adventures and capture each creature’s individuality. Malcolm’s mouse/rat appearance underscores the confusion as to his real species.
A rip-roaring tale; even rodent haters will have to like Malcolm. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-547-68100-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Colorfully relayed and gratifying to read.
It’s 1974, and Josephine and Mama have given up their tony apartment and moved into the Happy World Trailer Park, in Glendale, Tennessee. Only problem is, it isn’t a happy place.
With Josephine’s dad gone and Mama’s sewing business suffering financially, they have no choice. The limited third-person narration describes Josephine’s views of “every miserable thing there was to see in Happy World,” from the rundown trailers to the residents who are facing challenges. Josephine meets Lisa Marie, who’s also 10 and who lives with her grandaddy and great-uncle. Lisa Marie tells her about a girl from the neighborhood named Molly, who was kidnapped nearly a year ago and hasn’t been found. Molly’s mom looks as if she’s barely hanging on. Josephine is struggling, too, but she’s convinced that she and Molly have “a kind of sisterhood,” and she’s sure that if she can rescue Molly, her own circumstances will become bearable. Things move quickly after Josephine recognizes and interprets a clue that might point to Molly’s whereabouts, leading to a thrilling and dangerous climax. The resulting relationships forged are well worth it all. Josephine’s resilience and ability to reassess herself and her situation are admirable. Difficult topics such as divorce, poverty, abduction, terminal illness, and incarceration are thoughtfully and age-appropriately explored. Most characters are cued white.
Colorfully relayed and gratifying to read. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9780823453696
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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