In this second adventure, Puerto Rican–American Gabí confronts a minor mystery: why is the new girl in the neighborhood so secretive? Could she even be a ghost? After all, the house is reputed to be haunted. Lizzie, a.k.a. Lizard, is all too human; due to a birth defect, she wears a leg brace and goes to a special school. Not wanting to be pitied, she tries to prevent others from finding out. Gabí and Lizzie quickly bond over their physical agility (Lizzie is an excellent climber) and their imaginary roles as super heroes—Gabí the Great and Gecko Girl, respectively—but almost lose their new-found friendship over Lizzie’s older twin brothers, who enjoy terrorizing Gabí’s little brother Miguelito. Gabí’s narration is propulsive and a little hyper—sure to please young readers—and Cepeda’s line illustrations are wry, emotive, and only a bit exaggerated. Spanish words and phrases, explained both by context and a glossary, will feel comfortable and comforting to bilingual students, while providing non-Spanish speakers with an appealing introduction to the language. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-439-51711-7
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water’s changing character as it transforms from “milky-cold / rattling-bold” to a wide, slow “sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes” to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean’s spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain’s chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water’s shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to “the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood” being swept along, there’s no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell’s River, 1999), just appreciation for the river’s beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0792-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000
Keena Ford’s second-grade class is taking a field trip to the United States Capitol. This good-hearted girl works hard to behave, but her impulsive decisions have a way of backfiring, no matter how hard she tries to do the right thing. In this second book in a series, Keena cuts off one of her braids and later causes a congressman to fall down the stairs. The first-person journal format is a stretch—most second graders can barely write, let alone tell every detail of three days of her life. Children will wonder how Keena can cut one of her “two thick braids” all the way off by pretend-snipping in the air. They will be further confused because the cover art clearly shows Keena with a completely different hairdo on the field trip than the one described. Though a strong African-American heroine is most welcome in chapter books and Keena and her family are likable and realistic, this series needs more polish before Keena writes about her next month in school. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: July 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3264-3
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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