SPORT

Name: SPORT
Author: Louise Fitzhugh
ISBN: 978-0-440-41818-4

by Louise Fitzhugh illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 30, 1979

And—where the characters in the first book were memorable, larger-than-life caricatures—Sport's mother here is merely a...

bookshelf

You'll remember Harriet the Spy's friend Sport Rocque as the eleven-year-old who keeps house and account books for his impractical writer father.

This takes place before Sport turns twelve (presumably then still in the Sixties, though there's an anachronistic reference to the hustle), during the weeks that Sport starts in at a new junior high school, his father marries a super, sympathetic lady named Kate, and his mother's father dies, leaving most of his immense fortune to Sport. But as Sport's mother's share of the inheritance will double if she stays home from her European jaunts to raise him, she proceeds to kidnap her unwilling son, locking him up first in his grandfather's home and later in the Plaza Hotel, from which Sport escapes in a food cart propelled by his friend Chi-Chi who's a bellhop there. (How he got the job at his age isn't considered.) The fast-paced story has its share of funny scenes, and fans of Harriet will be interested in Sport's own story—but it's a vastly inferior one, with nothing more on its mind than Sport's escape from his witchlike mother.

And—where the characters in the first book were memorable, larger-than-life caricatures—Sport's mother here is merely a predictable and uninteresting stereotype; Kate is too perfect an answer to the Rocques' prayers; and Sport's three friends—one Jewish, one black, and one Hispanic—seem an unrealistic vestige of naive Sixties didacticism.

Pub Date: May 30, 1979

ISBN: 978-0-440-41818-4

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1979

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
I AM FIVE
by Louise Fitzhugh illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh

- BOOK REVIEW
NOBODY'S FAMILY IS GOING TO CHANGE
by Louise Fitzhugh illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh

- BOOK REVIEW
BANG BANG YOU'RE DEAD
by Louise Fitzhugh Sandra Scoppettone illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh

bookshelf

THE HOUSE THAT LOU BUILT

by Mae Respicio ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 12, 2018

This delightful debut welcomes readers in like a house filled with love.

bookshelf

A 13-year-old biracial girl longs to build the house of her dreams.

For Lou Bulosan-Nelson, normal is her “gigantic extended family squished into Lola’s for every holiday imaginable.” She shares a bedroom with her Filipina mother, Minda—a former interior-design major and current nurse-to-be—in Lola Celina’s San Francisco home. From her deceased white father, Michael, Lou inherited “not-so-Filipino features,” his love for architecture, and some land. Lou’s quietude implies her keen eye for details, but her passion for creating with her hands resonates loudly. Pining for something to claim as her own, she plans to construct a house from the ground up. When her mom considers moving out of state for a potential job and Lou’s land is at risk of being auctioned off, Lou stays resilient, gathering support from both friends and family to make her dream a reality. Respicio authentically depicts the richness of Philippine culture, incorporating Filipino language, insights into Lou’s family history, and well-crafted descriptions of customs, such as the birdlike Tinikling dance and eating kamayan style (with one’s hands), throughout. Lou’s story gives voice to Filipino youth, addressing cultural differences, the importance of bayanihan (community), and the true meaning of home.

This delightful debut welcomes readers in like a house filled with love. (Fiction. 8-13)

Pub Date: June 12, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5247-1794-0

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random

Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
ISABEL IN BLOOM
by Mae Respicio

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TO WIN A SLIME WAR
by Mae Respicio

- BOOK REVIEW
ANY DAY WITH YOU
by Mae Respicio

bookshelf

GROWING HOME

by Beth Ferry ; illustrated by Eric Fan & Terry Fan ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2025

Charming.

bookshelf

An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.

Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.

Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)