Move over, Baby-Sitters! There’s a new club in town.
Seventh grader Gigi Shin and her friends come up with an idea to raise money for art camp.
Gigi loves art, but her traditional Korean parents would rather she pursue science or engineering. One day, Gigi and her best friends spot a poster advertising the Starscape Young Artists’ Program, a prestigious summer camp in New York City. It’s a perfect opportunity, but it’s expensive, and none of the girls can afford it. That’s when Gigi comes up with an idea: an after-school tutoring service. Gigi keeps the idea secret from her parents, and though the friends pull it off, Gigi learns a few lessons along the way, including the importance of collaboration, time management, and honesty. While the prose is breezy and readable, reminiscent of Ann M. Martin’s Baby-Sitters Club books, there’s a lot for younger tweens to chew on as Gigi navigates multiple identities: daughter, sister, friend, artist, and entrepreneur. Those who relish stories about older, more independent kids will be pleased. Lee leaves some loose ends unresolved, keeping the focus on Gigi’s journey; future books in the series may shed light on what happens next. There’s racial and economic diversity among the cast.
Move over, Baby-Sitters! There’s a new club in town. (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781665939171
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers.
First volume of a planned three, this edited version of an ongoing online serial records a middle-school everykid’s triumphs and (more often) tribulations through the course of a school year.
Largely through his own fault, mishaps seem to plague Greg at every turn, from the minor freak-outs of finding himself permanently seated in class between two pierced stoners and then being saddled with his mom for a substitute teacher, to being forced to wrestle in gym with a weird classmate who has invited him to view his “secret freckle.” Presented in a mix of legible “hand-lettered” text and lots of simple cartoon illustrations with the punch lines often in dialogue balloons, Greg’s escapades, unwavering self-interest and sardonic commentary are a hoot and a half.
Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-8109-9313-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2007
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to...
A group of talking farm animals catches wind of the farm owner’s intention to burn the barn (with them in it) for insurance money and hatches a plan to flee.
Bond begins briskly—within the first 10 pages, barn cat Burdock has overheard Dewey Baxter’s nefarious plan, and by Page 17, all of the farm animals have been introduced and Burdock is sharing the terrifying news. Grady, Dewey’s (ever-so-slightly) more principled brother, refuses to go along, but instead of standing his ground, he simply disappears. This leaves the animals to fend for themselves. They do so by relying on their individual strengths and one another. Their talents and personalities match their species, bringing an element of realism to balance the fantasy elements. However, nothing can truly compensate for the bland horror of the premise. Not the growing sense of family among the animals, the serendipitous intervention of an unknown inhabitant of the barn, nor the convenient discovery of an alternate home. Meanwhile, Bond’s black-and-white drawings, justly compared to those of Garth Williams, amplify the sense of dissonance. Charming vignettes and single- and double-page illustrations create a pastoral world into which the threat of large-scale violence comes as a shock.
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to ponder the awkward coincidences that propel the plot. (Animal fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-33217-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
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