Niche but surprisingly fascinating.
A parent-child duo collect and research roadkill.
Tennessee middle schooler Jack Acosta can handle maggots, blood, and intestines. But the “stench of decay” involved in transporting carcasses (his scientist mother studies decomposition) is a big nope. Between being called “Roadkill Kid,” his mom and dad’s divorce, and extracurricular “roadkill undertaking,” Jack has a lot going on. In spite of the “work, work, work,” Jack finds time to hang out with his best friend, André, and fret over his budding friendship with his crush, Zoe. A live cougar’s surprise appearance in the backyard “Roadkill Garden” inspires Jack to research the species—one that has been declared extinct in the state—for a school report. His mom sees the cougar as a “data nightmare,” but to Jack, it’s a call to action. Tubb, known for humorous dog books, diverges from her oeuvre to deliver a moving narrative with a distinct point of view. Jack’s references to the stages of the decomposition process as he grapples with his parents’ divorce offer unique parallels to grieving. Laugh-out-loud moments balance the heavy with the humorous. The strong conservationist message and assignment-based structure, however, make the story a bit bloated. Race and ethnicity aren’t explicitly stated; some cues suggest possible diversity (e.g., Zoe’s mom wears a headscarf).
Niche but surprisingly fascinating. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-321226-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
Don’t miss this brave hero as she confronts anti-immigrant hatred in a timely historical novel.
Sixth grader Mia Tang returns to battle racism in this thrilling sequel to the Asian/Pacific American Award–winning Front Desk (2018).
The Tangs, who emigrated from China when Mia was little, are now the proud owners of the Calivista Motel. Mia works the front desk along with her friends Lupe Garcia, who is Mexican, and Jason Yao, who is Chinese. Her world quickly becomes clouded by the upcoming election, in which California’s Prop 187, which would ban undocumented immigrants from access to health care and public schooling, is on the ballot. The author’s note highlights personal experiences with racism and provides additional information on this historic vote. The storyline expertly weaves together the progress and setbacks Mia experiences as her family continues to work, seemingly endlessly on the edge of poverty. Lupe reveals that her family is undocumented, creating a portrait of fear as her father is jailed. The impending vote has significant consequences for all immigrants, not just the Garcias, as racial threats increase. With the help of a cast of strong supporting characters, Mia bravely uses her voice and her pen to change opinions—with family, friends, teachers, and even voters. The lessons she learns helping her friends become the key to addressing racism, as one wise friend advises: “You gotta listen, you gotta care, and most importantly, you gotta keep trying.”
Don’t miss this brave hero as she confronts anti-immigrant hatred in a timely historical novel. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-59138-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020
Heartening and hopeful, a love letter to black male youth grasping the desires within them, absorbing the worlds around...
Cooler-than-cool newcomer Styx Malone takes the more-sheltered brothers Caleb and Bobby Gene on a mischievous, path-altering, summer adventure of a lifetime as they embrace the extraordinary possibilities beyond the everyday in rural Indiana.
Readers may think an adventure such as they’ll find here wouldn’t be possible in the present day; this story takes place outside, where nature, know-how, creativity, and curiosity rule. Creeks, dirt roads, buried treasures, and more make up the landscape in Sutton, Indiana. Younger brother Caleb narrates, letting readers know from the outset that he’s tired of his dad’s racially tinged determination that they be safely ordinary: “I don’t want to be ordinary. I want to be…the other thing.” With Styx Malone around, Caleb and Bobby Gene will sure figure out what that “other thing” can become. The three black adolescents are enchanted with the miracle of the Great Escalator Trade, the mythic one-thing-leads-to-another bartering scheme that just might get them farther from Sutton than they’ve ever dreamed. As they get deeper and deeper into cahoots with Styx, they begin to notice that Styx harbors some secret ambitions of his own, further twisting this grand summer journey. “How do you move through the world knowing that you’re special, when no one else can see it?” begs the soul of this novel.
Heartening and hopeful, a love letter to black male youth grasping the desires within them, absorbing the worlds around them, striving to be more otherwise than ordinary. Please share. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-1595-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
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