by Lisa Schroeder ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 9, 2010
Isabel’s mother, lacking the “gumption gene” so evident in her plucky 12-year-old daughter, has lots of good ideas but gives up easily and retreats to her bedroom whenever life presents any kind of obstacle. Thus does adventurous Isabel frequently find herself tiptoeing around in the role of caregiver to her parent when she would rather be out seeing the world. When Mom conceives a plan to open a cupcake bakery in their Oregon hometown, Isabel throws herself into helping make her mother’s dreams come true, even when it imperils her own dream of winning a baking contest for kids in New York City. With the aid of a few stock characters (the loyal best friend, the wise grandmother, the kind-hearted neighbor), Isabel finds a way to remain true to herself while helping her mother overcome her own limitations. Isabel’s voice is direct and endearing; with gentle wit and clarity, she describes her own foibles as well as others’. A deft portrayal of the frustrations of a functional child tethered to a dysfunctional adult. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: March 9, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4169-9084-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2010
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by Jacqueline Davies ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 23, 2007
Told from the point of view of two warring siblings, this could have been an engaging first chapter book. Unfortunately, the length makes it less likely to appeal to the intended audience. Jessie and Evan are usually good friends as well as sister and brother. But the news that bright Jessie will be skipping a grade to join Evan’s fourth-grade class creates tension. Evan believes himself to be less than clever; Jessie’s emotional maturity doesn’t quite measure up to her intelligence. Rivalry and misunderstandings grow as the two compete to earn the most money in the waning days of summer. The plot rolls along smoothly and readers will be able to both follow the action and feel superior to both main characters as their motivations and misconceptions are clearly displayed. Indeed, a bit more subtlety in characterization might have strengthened the book’s appeal. The final resolution is not entirely believable, but the emphasis on cooperation and understanding is clear. Earnest and potentially successful, but just misses the mark. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 23, 2007
ISBN: 0-618-75043-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
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by Raina Telgemeier ; illustrated by Raina Telgemeier ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 17, 2019
With young readers diagnosed with anxiety in ever increasing numbers, this book offers a necessary mirror to many.
Young Raina is 9 when she throws up for the first time that she remembers, due to a stomach bug. Even a year later, when she is in fifth grade, she fears getting sick.
Raina begins having regular stomachaches that keep her home from school. She worries about sharing food with her friends and eating certain kinds of foods, afraid of getting sick or food poisoning. Raina’s mother enrolls her in therapy. At first Raina isn’t sure about seeing a therapist, but over time she develops healthy coping mechanisms to deal with her stress and anxiety. Her therapist helps her learn to ground herself and relax, and in turn she teaches her classmates for a school project. Amping up the green, wavy lines to evoke Raina’s nausea, Telgemeier brilliantly produces extremely accurate visual representations of stress and anxiety. Thought bubbles surround Raina in some panels, crowding her with anxious “what if”s, while in others her negative self-talk appears to be literally crushing her. Even as she copes with anxiety disorder and what is eventually diagnosed as mild irritable bowel syndrome, she experiences the typical stresses of school life, going from cheer to panic in the blink of an eye. Raina is white, and her classmates are diverse; one best friend is Korean American.
With young readers diagnosed with anxiety in ever increasing numbers, this book offers a necessary mirror to many. (Graphic memoir. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-545-85251-7
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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