An endearing story with memorable characters who will bring smiles to cat lovers.
Erixon chronicles the misadventures of and tender relationships between several generations of cats in this YA novel.
Tabby cats Terrence, aka Riser, and Phyllis, aka Dilly, are about to be rehomed. They have spent their lives as indoor cats, but now they find themselves in a carrier, in a strange car, with two little humans poking at them with their fingers; it’s all very unsettling. Soon, they are deposited on a garage floor, where the small humans gently pet them. Beyond the garage, the great outdoors begs to be explored. Life is good: They are well cared for, free to roam the farm, and, best of all, they have each other. Dilly discovers a stray cat injured by a rat trap in an open field’s tall grass. She begins to bring him food and decides to remain with him and a group of other strays. Riser is bereft without his sister. Enter Angel, a standoffish young calico in need of a new home, adopted to boost Riser’s spirits. When Angel’s brief dalliance in the woods with a stray leaves her pregnant, Riser is enchanted by her two kittens, Moonsie and Bandit: “Her family had become his family. And he promised himself he would do whatever was necessary to protect them.” Best for the younger range of YA readers, Erixon’s collection of cat tales offers an amusing and poignant portrayal of feline antics and diverse personalities, plus a few life lessons for humans. The narrative captures the animals’ devotion to one another through the generations; in one charming episode, the rambunctious Moonsie recklessly climbs a tall tree and Riser must guide him step by terrifying step back to safety. In another sweet moment, after baby kitten Chuck is brought into the fold, a grumpy Angel eventually softens and tenderly teaches him how to properly wash his face and check for debris between his toes. There are also tear-jerking losses, some peaceful and some decidedly less so.
An endearing story with memorable characters who will bring smiles to cat lovers.Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2022
ISBN: 9781039160897
Page Count: 162
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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