Gentle, satisfying family-oriented fare for pre-vacation reading.
Sisters expand their world after a memorable week at the ocean with their parents.
Driving to the ocean for their first time ever, “adventure-y” Alix and her older, more cautious sister, Jools, envision “white sand and turquoise water and palm trees.” Arriving at the rental beach house, they discover “grayish green” water with “large and startling” waves. Nevertheless, as the week unfolds, they take long beach walks, build fabulous sand castles, search for periwinkles to eat, and fashion beach glass into necklaces. Alix becomes pals with their landlady’s granddaughter while Jools and her father visit an interesting old lighthouse. A family outing to a wildlife refuge seems like a “boring walk through deserted places” until they spy raccoons and Alix holds an injured falcon. By week’s end, Alix thinks how different their vacation has been than she expected and wonders “what amazing thing would happen next.” Perkins proves experiences do not have to be extraordinary to be life-changing as she insightfully describes Alix’s and Jools’ savoring the sights, smells, sounds, and simple pleasures of the ocean, perfectly captured in comfortable prose. Precise black-and-white illustrations add humor and insight to the sisters’ seaside adventures, depicting Alix’s family with pale skin and their landlady’s with dark.
Gentle, satisfying family-oriented fare for pre-vacation reading. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249966-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans.
Only children, rejoice! A cozy mystery just for you! (People with siblings will probably enjoy it too.)
Debut novelist Cornett introduces the One and Onlys, a trio of mystery-solving only kids: Gloria Longshanks “Shanks” Hill, Alexander “Peephole” Calloway, and narrator Paul (alas, no nickname) Marconi. The trio has a knack for finding and solving low-level mysteries, but they come up against a true head-scratcher when the yard of a resident of their small town is covered in rubber ducks overnight. Working ahead of Officer Portnoy, who’s a little on the slow side, can Paul, Shanks, and Peephole solve the mystery? Cornett has a lot of fun with this adventure, dropping additional side mysteries, a subplot about small businesses, big corporations, and economics, and a town’s love of bratwurst into the mix. Most importantly, he plays fair with the clues throughout, allowing astute readers to potentially solve the case ahead of the trio. The tone and mystery are perfect for younger readers who want to test their detective skills but are put off by anything scary or gory. The pacing would serve well for chapter-by-chapter read-alouds. If there are any quibbles, it’s the lack of diversity of the cast, as it defaults white. Diversity exists in small towns, and this one is crying out for more. Hopefully a sequel will introduce additional faces.
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-3003-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch.
Basketball-playing twins find challenges to their relationship on and off the court as they cope with changes in their lives.
Josh Bell and his twin, Jordan, aka JB, are stars of their school basketball team. They are also successful students, since their educator mother will stand for nothing else. As the two middle schoolers move to a successful season, readers can see their differences despite the sibling connection. After all, Josh has dreadlocks and is quiet on court, and JB is bald and a trash talker. Their love of the sport comes from their father, who had also excelled in the game, though his championship was achieved overseas. Now, however, he does not have a job and seems to have health problems the parents do not fully divulge to the boys. The twins experience their first major rift when JB is attracted to a new girl in their school, and Josh finds himself without his brother. This novel in verse is rich in character and relationships. Most interesting is the family dynamic that informs so much of the narrative, which always reveals, never tells. While Josh relates the story, readers get a full picture of major and minor players. The basketball action provides energy and rhythm for a moving story.
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch. (Verse fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-10771-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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