Readers will be stoked too about this fresh, funny, way-cool slice of Americana. (Early reader. 6 & up)
This cheeky debut from Pliscou and Dunne pokes fun at traditional reading primers while reveling in California surf culture.
Truly non-bogus retro artwork in the style of 1950s Dick and Jane illustrations evokes a nostalgic sensibility with contemporary updates—including a notably multicultural cast of characters in several beach scenes. The pictures throughout the book are brightly colored and detailed, with endpapers decorated with paintings of surfboards and characters that rely more on gestural strokes than detail. The control of the text is intentionally broken to incorporate “surf-speak” on nearly every page, including when Dude’s friend Betty is introduced: “Betty is a righteous surf bunny. She does not live in the Valley.” While this might undermine the book’s success as a beginning reader, it totally ratchets up the humor in a most excellent way. After Mother and Father ask him if he’s cleaned his room and done his homework, Dude and Betty don’t “go” like Dick and Jane, nor does his dog Bud “run” like Spot—they “bail” and head back to the beach. “Waves are happening,” reads the final page. “Dude is stoked.”
Readers will be stoked too about this fresh, funny, way-cool slice of Americana. (Early reader. 6 & up)Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-175690-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
Fast-paced and plot-driven.
In his latest, prolific author Gratz takes on Hitler’s Olympic Games.
When 13-year-old American gymnast Evie Harris arrives in Berlin to compete in the 1936 Olympic Games, she has one goal: stardom. If she can bring home a gold medal like her friend, the famous equestrian-turned-Hollywood-star Mary Brooks, she might be able to lift her family out of their Dust Bowl poverty. But someone slips a strange note under Evie’s door, and soon she’s dodging Heinz Fischer, the Hitler Youth member assigned to host her, and meeting strangers who want to make use of her gymnastic skills—to rob a bank. As the games progress, Evie begins to see the moral issues behind their sparkling facade—the antisemitism and racism inherent in Nazi ideology and the way Hitler is using the competition to support and promote these beliefs. And she also agrees to rob the bank. Gratz goes big on the Mission Impossible–style heist, which takes center stage over the actual competitions, other than Jesse Owens’ famous long jump. A lengthy and detailed author’s note provides valuable historical context, including places where Gratz adapted the facts for storytelling purposes (although there’s no mention of the fact that before 1952, Olympic equestrian sports were limited to male military officers). With an emphasis on the plot, many of the characters feel defined primarily by how they’re suffering under the Nazis, such as the fictional diver Ursula Diop, who was involuntarily sterilized for being biracial.
Fast-paced and plot-driven. (Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781338736106
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
A beautifully executed victory lap for a beloved series.
An origin story for the man who provides wisdom and a sense of cohesion for the young runners who star in Reynolds’ celebrated series.
Years before Coach guided the members of the Defenders through hurdles on and off the field, he was a 12-year-old boy known as Otie. Otie’s a gifted runner, though impulsive (as his mother says, “Your body’s fast, but your mind don’t always move at the same speed”), and he’s thrilled to learn that the scout who helped his idol, Carl Lewis, make it to the 1984 Olympics four years ago will be arriving soon to assess the talent on his team. His loving parents encourage him—and do their best to keep him away from the influence of the Clippers, a gang that sells drugs in his predominantly Black neighborhood. When his father, who’s frequently away for work, returns with a gift of Jordans, Otie is even more excited, but the cherished sneakers serve as the catalyst for learning difficult truths about his father. Reynolds does a remarkable job of using pop culture references—from Michael Jackson to Back to the Future—to establish a sense of time and place. As always, his command of language is masterly, with crackling dialogue, propulsive plotting, and adroit characterization: Readers will emerge with a rich portrait of the forces that created the man whose mentorship would have a powerful effect on so many young people.
A beautifully executed victory lap for a beloved series. (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9798347102372
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
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