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NO BOYS ALLOWED

Name: NO BOYS ALLOWED
Author: Marilyn Levinson
ISBN: 0-8167-3135-7

by Marilyn Levinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1993

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When, by page 15, Cassie decides to keep her father's stamp collection even though she's angrily throwing out all his other possessions, any suspense as to the outcome of this novel of divorce's aftermath is effectively void. At 11, Cassie takes her father's actions (including his upcoming marriage) hard, invoking a ``no boys'' rule to which she wants her older sister and mother to adhere. She fights with best friend Bob (one-note and too wise, and by taking the adults' side, he gives Cassie plenty of new reasons to dislike men) and is grudging about the arrival of great-uncle Harry, who moves in to recuperate from a heart attack. While her mother gets a job and becomes more assertive, Cassie gets busy collecting stamps and working a paper route; by the last page, she's ready to mail her father a conciliatory letter. Cassie's clichÇ-ridden narration offers few insights (``I started to sob deep, wrenching sobs as I mourned the loss of my father''—but she's happy enough next day to make dates with newly introduced characters). A slick journey through well- traveled, much-abused territory; it's hard to care about Cassie's superficially reported woes. (Fiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1993

ISBN: 0-8167-3135-7

Page Count: 124

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1993

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE SIERRA CLUB BOOK OF WEATHERWISDOM

by Vicki McVey & illustrated by Martha Weston ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1991

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This ``Complete Guide for Young Forecasters'' consists of a meandering description of weather and climate, together with experiments and activities to illustrate weather principles. McVey suggests that anyone can be ``weatherwise'': able to predict weather by paying attention to natural patterns and figuring out how they work. As examples, she briefly describes an Inca boy who bases his prediction of a rainy growing season on the size of Tacarari spider eggs; a boy in the Sahara who is alerted to a coming sirocco by the strange yellow of the sky; and an elderly Puerto Rican whose aching joints presage a hurricane. Unfortunately, there's little effort to explain how these ``natural observations'' are based in science. In addition, readers hear about ``Molly Molecule'' drifting to earth, then learn how to read a weather map and how to make a hydrometer, terrarium, and weather vane. A hodgepodge of facts, stories and activities, presented in a colloquial tone and adding up to a less-than-satisfying introduction to the topic. Glossary; index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: May 1, 1991

ISBN: 0-316-56341-2

Page Count: 96

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1991

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE WEATHER SKY

by Bruce McMillan & illustrated by Bruce McMillan ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1991

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The effects of the simplest weather fronts and the clouds associated with them throughout the year. Warm and cold fronts are shown using the symbols made familiar by TV meteorologists; a handy cloud-classification chart shows the shape and height of common clouds. Each page includes a carefully selected photo of the sky and cloud cover, a vertical cross-section drawing of the clouds with their height in both feet and miles, and a line drawing showing the fronts. The photos were taken in an area of Maine called ``thunderstorm alley.'' An attractive, useful guide. Glossary; brief index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)