An attractive kids’ book about achieving one’s goals that would have benefited from more focused storytelling.
In author T’s illustrated children’s book, a young girl with physical challenges pursues her dream of becoming a scientist.
As the story opens, Abiola, who uses a wheelchair, has recently graduated from middle school (apparently a boarding school in a city) and has returned to her family’s home in a tropical village for summer break. After visiting her family and friends, she heads back to school, and on the way, she visits a doctor for a checkup. The doctor reveals that her leg is healing well, thanks in part to her medication, and that she may be able to walk again. (Apparently, she faced bullying in a previous middle school, but there’s no detailed discussion of this.) She begins attending high school amid these physical and emotional challenges. Abiola uses positive self-talk to remain motivated and focuses on learning new things every day, as well as inquiring about the world around her. She gains physical and emotional strength and support from her family and friends, including JoJo, Gloria, and Jean. (Abiola and her family are portrayed with brown skin; other characters have a range of skin tones.) At her new school, she wins a science fair and, later, earns a scholarship to study science at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The color palette used for the book’s uncredited illustrations is striking, presenting the narrative in a dreamlike, autumnal landscape. However, the storytelling is a bit disjointed. Characters come and go without sufficient explanation of who they are or their significance to the story’s outcome. The narrative also often features characters discussing past events, rather than detailing what transpired, which may make it more difficult for some to feel fully invested in the present-day story. Nevertheless, it’s an inspirational book that presents a feel-good story of recovery and resilience.
An attractive kids’ book about achieving one’s goals that would have benefited from more focused storytelling.Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781965811047
Page Count: 40
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson’s special-ed class, aka, “the junkyard.” But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco’s trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha’s group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story’s warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author’s note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda.
Hank Zipzer, poster boy for dyslexic middle graders everywhere, stars in a new prequel series highlighting second-grade trials and triumphs.
Hank’s hopes of playing Aqua Fly, a comic-book character, in the upcoming class play founder when, despite plenty of coaching and preparation, he freezes up during tryouts. He is not particularly comforted when his sympathetic teacher adds a nonspeaking role as a bookmark to the play just for him. Following the pattern laid down in his previous appearances as an older child, he gets plenty of help and support from understanding friends (including Ashley Wong, a new apartment-house neighbor). He even manages to turn lemons into lemonade with a quick bit of improv when Nick “the Tick” McKelty, the sneering classmate who took his preferred role, blanks on his lines during the performance. As the aforementioned bully not only chokes in the clutch and gets a demeaning nickname, but is fat, boastful and eats like a pig, the authors’ sensitivity is rather one-sided. Still, Hank has a winning way of bouncing back from adversity, and like the frequent black-and-white line-and-wash drawings, the typeface is designed with easy legibility in mind.
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-448-48239-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
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