Next-door neighbors in a small Norwegian town share mishaps and mischief.
Spanning a year in their lives, this lively tale details the escapades of Trille and his neighbor, Lena. Through the voice of pragmatic 9-year-old Trille, Parr deftly portrays her narrator’s earnestness and Lena’s insouciance as together the friends carry out their schemes with often humorous and occasionally regrettable results. Though they live in quiet Mathildewick Cove, the friends’ dynamic imaginations lead to several exhilarating—and a few precarious—escapades, which range from seafaring ventures to a mountainside helicopter rescue. Amid these antics, Parr subtly reveals Trille’s and Lena’s innermost worries. Although Trille considers the irrepressible Lena his best friend, he wonders whether she reciprocates those feelings. And beneath Lena’s vibrant exterior, she longs for a father, a dilemma that she attempts to resolve in her indefatigable, quirky fashion. Through several well-nuanced characters, Parr delineates Trille’s extended family support and reveals the familial closeness that Trille so cherishes. Trille's relationships with his grandfather and his beloved “Auntie Granny” celebrate these multigenerational connections. With simply rendered illustrations that zero in on key elements of the story, Forrester extends the charm of this tale.
Filled with both rollicking escapades and poignant moments, Parr’s notable tale portrays a young boy’s heartfelt appreciation of family and friends. (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: May 12, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7281-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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BOOK REVIEW
At a time when death has become an acceptable, even voguish subject in children's fiction, Natalie Babbitt comes through with a stylistic gem about living forever.
Protected Winnie, the ten-year-old heroine, is not immortal, but when she comes upon young Jesse Tuck drinking from a secret spring in her parents' woods, she finds herself involved with a family who, having innocently drunk the same water some 87 years earlier, haven't aged a moment since. Though the mood is delicate, there is no lack of action, with the Tucks (previously suspected of witchcraft) now pursued for kidnapping Winnie; Mae Tuck, the middle aged mother, striking and killing a stranger who is onto their secret and would sell the water; and Winnie taking Mae's place in prison so that the Tucks can get away before she is hanged from the neck until....? Though Babbitt makes the family a sad one, most of their reasons for discontent are circumstantial and there isn't a great deal of wisdom to be gleaned from their fate or Winnie's decision not to share it.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1975
ISBN: 0312369816
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1975
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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A modern Sherlock Holmes retelling brings an 11-year-old black John Watson into the sphere of know-it-all 9-year-old white detective Shelby Holmes.
John's an Army brat who's lived in four states already. Now, with his parents' divorce still fresh, the boy who's lived only on military bases must explore the wilds of Harlem. His new life in 221A Baker St. begins inauspiciously, as before he's even finished moving in, his frizzy-haired neighbor blows something up: "BOOM!" But John's great at making friends, and Shelby certainly seems like an interesting kid to know. Oddly loquacious, brusque, and extremely observant, Shelby's locally famous for solving mysteries. John’s swept up in her detecting when a wealthy, brown-skinned classmate enlists their help in the mysterious disappearance of her beloved show dog, Daisy. Whatever could have happened to the prizewinning Cavalier King Charles spaniel? Has she been swiped by a jealous competitor? Has Daisy’s trainer—mysteriously come into enough money to take a secret weekend in Cozumel—been placing bets against his own dog? Brisk pacing, likable characters, a few silly Holmes jokes ("I'm Petunia Cumberbatch," says Shelby while undercover), and a diverse neighborhood, carefully and realistically described by John, are ingredients for success.
A smart, fresh take on an old favorite makes for a terrific series kickoff . (Mystery. 9-11)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68119-051-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S MYSTERY & THRILLER | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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