In a quiet, introspective novel, Debbie, 13, faces one of the worst things that can happen to the young; she’s lost a best friend, Maureen, to a boring, rather unpleasant classmate, Glenna. With carefully observed details and moments, picture-book creator Perkins (Clouds for Dinner, 1997, etc.) shows why Debbie can believe that she’ll never have a happy day again. Of course, there are others around, such as her new neighbor, the worldly Maria, and girls from school, but none of them is as wonderful as Maureen. Debbie finds herself hating Glenna, but a kindly teacher helps her realize that Glenna didn’t “take” Maureen—Maureen left. It all adds up to a just examination of one of the small but piercing sorrows of growing up, with a cast of arresting characters, freckles of humor, and black-and-white drawings that enhance the muted tale; Perkins gives the significance of friendship its due, and then some. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-16881-7
Page Count: 132
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A melodramatic tale of a young snowboarder with terrifically bad judgement. First, Declan worms his way into the “Urban Xtreme Team,” a gang of Vancouver graffitists; then, when they perish in a self-started fire and he opts for a six-week rehabilitation stint in the mountains, he responds to the jeers of a rival by nearly killing himself three times, snowboarding down slopes that are beyond his ability. The third time is actually a suicide attempt, but in surviving it, he ends up straightening himself out. Declan picks up the rudiments of snowboarding with convenient ease, the cast is composed of types, and readers unfamiliar with the sport may stumble over the jargon; still, for solid vicarious entertainment, the plot is comprised of nonstop wild rides, avalanches, and wipe-outs. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 5, 1999
ISBN: 0-8225-3307-3
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
In this unusual, deeply felt story about a motherless girl, 12-year-old Gabby lives with her painter father and older brother, Ian. She longs not only for a mother to instruct her in the womanly arts, but also for a best friend to share things with. Her wishes are suddenly answered when Cleo, her favorite of all the women her father has dated, becomes engaged to her dad and a wonderful new girl joins her school class. Gabby is relieved and happy that she has finally found females she can connect with, until the unexpected happens. Her father and Cleo break up, and in a heart-wrenching gasp-out-loud moment, Cleo shatters Gabby's hopes for a fairytale family with a real mother at the helm. But Cleo's temporary presence has awoken Gabby's long-dormant curiosity about her own mother. She's particularly interested in probing into her mother's mysterious death, a taboo topic in her household and something she has always felt guilty about. Determined to find out the truth, she talks her older brother into accompanying her on a pilgrimage to New York, hoping a visit to their old home will jog their collective memories. There she learns some hard, though guilt-relieving truths, finally becoming able to have "embraced her [mother's] existence" and say "good-bye." Although slow in spots, Baskin's first person narrative is smoothly engaging overall, and the dialogue rings true. The sympathetic protagonist has reality and dimension, and readers should be squarely in her corner as she goes through the difficult process of becoming a young woman. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: April 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-316-07021-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2001
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