A classic, satisfying adventure tale packed with magical beings.
A Hmong American girl sets out on a quest to save her little brother from an angry spirit.
Pahua, the only Asian American in sixth grade at her Wisconsin school, spends most of her time with her little brother, Matt, and Miv, a cat spirit only she can see. Trying to fit in with the other girls at summer school, Pahua ignores her misgivings and follows them to a forbidden bridge in the woods. She quickly learns why it’s so dangerous: The ghost of a lost little girl inhabits it—and she is angry. When Pahua accidentally releases her, the ghost attaches herself to Matt, trapping him in the Spirit Realm. Luckily, Zhong, another Hmong girl, is sent by the School for Shamanic Arts and Spiritual Mastery to make sure the bridge spirit ends up on the proper path for reincarnation—a trial to prove that she deserves to complete her training. The two begin a journey to save Matt, equipped only with Pahua’s unusual ability to see spirits, Zhong’s apprentice training, and Miv. As they encounter tree spirits, dragons, angry Hmong gods, and more, Pahua learns secrets about her family and her past and grapples with what lies at the core of identity. This is a fun adventure through a world inspired by Hmong mythology, full of imagination and featuring characters whose concerns are both modern and timeless.
A classic, satisfying adventure tale packed with magical beings. (glossary, author’s note) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-368-06824-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents/Disney
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards—not only for their king, who was in the habit...
The author of the Anastasia books as well as more serious fiction (Rabble Starkey, 1987) offers her first historical fiction—a story about the escape of the Jews from Denmark in 1943.
Five years younger than Lisa in Carol Matas' Lisa's War (1989), Annemarie Johansen has, at 10, known three years of Nazi occupation. Though ever cautious and fearful of the ubiquitous soldiers, she is largely unaware of the extent of the danger around her; the Resistance kept even its participants safer by telling them as little as possible, and Annemarie has never been told that her older sister Lise died in its service. When the Germans plan to round up the Jews, the Johansens take in Annemarie's friend, Ellen Rosen, and pretend she is their daughter; later, they travel to Uncle Hendrik's house on the coast, where the Rosens and other Jews are transported by fishing boat to Sweden. Apart from Lise's offstage death, there is little violence here; like Annemarie, the reader is protected from the full implications of events—but will be caught up in the suspense and menace of several encounters with soldiers and in Annemarie's courageous run as courier on the night of the escape. The book concludes with the Jews' return, after the war, to homes well kept for them by their neighbors.
A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards—not only for their king, who was in the habit of riding alone in Copenhagen, but for their Jews. (Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: April 1, 1989
ISBN: 0547577095
Page Count: 156
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1989
Certain to steal hearts.
In this follow-up to 2020’s The One and Only Bob, Ruby the elephant is still living at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary.
She’s apprehensive about her Tuskday, a rite of passage for young elephants when she’ll give a speech in front of the rest of the herd. Luckily, she can confide in her Uncle Ivan, who is next door in Gorilla World, and Uncle Bob, the dog who lives nearby with human friend Julia. Ruby was born in an unspecified part of Africa, later ending up on display in the mall, where she met Ivan, Bob, and Julia. The unexpected arrival of someone from Ruby’s past life on the savanna revives memories both warmly nostalgic and deeply traumatic. An elephant glossary and Castelao’s charming, illustrated guide to elephant body language help immerse readers in Ruby’s world. Goofy, playful, and mischievous Ruby is fully dimensional, as she has shown her bravery during the many hardships of her young life. Applegate deftly tempers themes of grief and loss with compassion and humor as Ruby finds her place in the herd. The author’s note touches on climate change, the illegal ivory trade, and conservation efforts, but the highly emotive framing of the story through the memories of a bewildered baby elephant emphasizes the impact of lines such as “ ‘in Africa,’ I say softly, ‘there were bad people,’ ” without offering readers a nuanced understanding of the broader context that drives poaching.
Certain to steal hearts. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780063080089
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
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