In a fast-moving tale, Farrell (Marrying Malcolm Murgatroyd, 1995, etc.) presents a look at the stereotypes of models, fame, and vanity; refreshingly, the perspective is a boy’s. Down-to-earth sixth-grader Bradley never thought much about his looks until a publicist from the town’s largest department store encourages him to model for the sales circular. At first Bradley is reluctant: What will his baseball buddies think, especially obnoxious Skeff Parker, who already makes cracks about Bradley’s masculinity? When he finds out about the dollar signs attached, Bradley forgets his fears, and decides that he can contribute to the family income as a “man.” The store puts Bradley’s face on the billboard right over the ball field, and he is prepared neither for the fame nor the humbling that follows. The story has solid sentiments on what it means to be a man, a comforting old-fashioned quality, plus some strong role models in Bradley’s family of females and in his crush, Jessie. The glimpses into the modeling world—e.g., Bradley’s first inseam measurement and his first shoot—further buttress the humor in this entertaining read. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: April 22, 1998
ISBN: 0-374-30949-3
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s the fall of 1962. With Soviet missiles in Cuba, a war with Russia seems imminent. Amid community-wide fears of annihilation, Juliet Klostermeyer is experiencing her own personal problem. Her longtime best friend Lowell has decided it is uncool to be friends with a girl. Friendless for the first time, Julia meets Patsy, a spunky Air Force brat new to town. Patsy’s father is a mechanic on the nearby base. When Patsy learns of Lowell’s transgression and his new friends’ attitude that girls are inferior, she suggests a series of tests to prove the boys wrong. As the standoff between Kennedy and Khrushchev intensifies, so does the war between the sexes. When their final test provokes a near-tragedy, both sides come to realize what is really important. The characters are solid and believable, while the dialogue is fresh, poignant and funny. The children’s fear about the end of the world is realistically portrayed, yet Wittlinger never lets it overshadow the good-humored story of friendship. Will appeal to fans of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s The Boys Start the War (1993) and The Girls Get Even (1994). (Historical fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: April 20, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4169-7101-6
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Cheyenne, ten, and his brother, Joaquin, five, hoard food. Before she abandoned them entirely, their mother neglected them, so Cheyenne learned very young to stash food—when it was available. In their Aunt Mandy’s custody, things briefly improve as they get to know their extended (but not very helpful) family. Narrator Cheyenne, never letting down his guard, always keenly observes the adults around him, gleaning what information he can, although filtered through his child mind, it’s sometimes humorously misinterpreted. When Mandy has a stroke, the children are left to fend for themselves. Then, as one unbelievable challenge is piled on top of another, at times the children’s burden seems almost fantastical. Is it possible that no one in a small town would notice the small children’s plight, hiding out in a van and foraging through Dumpsters for a freezing month or that the hospital would discharge brain-injured Mandy to their sole custody, setting up a contrived though satisfying conclusion? Yet resourceful Cheyenne’s authentic voice is lovable enough to make this a worthy if at times implausible read. (discussion questions) (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59955-407-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Bonneville Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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