The latest in “slang fiction”—novels that use slang words and their definitions to carry the story along—this narration follows Allie through her sixth-grade year. She’s counting on her best friend, stylish Tamara, to help her survive the transition from elementary school and avoid becoming a “nork,” a state beyond dorkdom. So why is Tam trying out for cheerleading with Renee, instead of soccer with Allie? Torn between liking and not caring for her best friend—all in the same moment—Allie begins to find parallels between her divorced parents’ relationship and her dissolving friendship with Tam. With a persistent coach who pushes Allie beyond her comfort level, the girl also discovers self-confidence, independence and new teammates—both on and off the field. Although not as poignant as Lynne Rae Perkins’s All Alone in the Universe (1999), Papademetriou’s clever, popular format and ability to understand the emotional roller coaster called middle school will appeal to tween girls. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: May 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-7868-5169-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
Small, a very little fox, needs some reassurance from Large in the unconditional love department. If he is grim and grumpy, will he still be loved? “ ‘Oh, Small,’ said Large, ‘grumpy or not, I’ll always love you, no matter what.’ “ So it goes, in a gentle rhyme, as Large parries any number of questions that for Small are very telling. What if he were to turn into a young bear, or squishy bug, or alligator? Would a mother want to hug and hold these fearsome animals? Yes, yes, answers Large. “But does love wear out? Does it break or bend? Can you fix it or patch it? Does it mend?” There is comfort in Gliori’s pages, but it is a result of repetition and not the imagery; this is a quick fix, not an enduring one, but it eases Small’s fears and may well do the same for children. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-202061-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
The rich and complex emotional lives within a classroom of unsupervised students boil toward eruption the day an exceptional teacher is absent. When the designated substitute for Mr. Fabiano’s sixth-grade class calls in sick, her message is overlooked in the chaotic office, and the children find themselves without a teacher. Rather than report it, and led by Mr. Fab’s lesson plans, they run the class themselves. But powerful emotions are brewing under an otherwise ordinary day’s surface: Tommy, a classmate who was often teased for his slowness, has been dead for exactly six months and the class’s guilt over their treatment of him hasn’t been addressed; Rachel, who hasn’t spoken since Tommy died, is about to break her silence; and Bastian, often a bully, is making life- changing decisions on what has become his last day in school. Although Mr. Fabiano only appears at the end, his presence is felt on every page; Fletcher (Twilight Comes Twice, 1997, etc.) creates a testament to effective teaching in his realistic portrait of Mr. Fabiano as both caring and intelligent. A novel that is funny, real, and often moving. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 21, 1998
ISBN: 0-395-87323-1
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1998
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