An engaging tale about finding one’s voice and making faraway connections.
Two young girls learn about their respective cultures through a pen-pal program in Bleckwehl’s middle-grade novel.
Smart, quiet Neyah Jabari is a 12-year-old girl who lives in Letsokoane, a village in Kenya. Fetching water for various family and community needs is by far the most crucial chore assigned to her, as it affects the lives of everyone around her; for example, if there were no water for the cows, they wouldn’t be able to produce milk to feed families. Bibi, Neyah’s wise paternal grandmother, tells her that “Water is life,” but for the girl, who dreams of being a doctor, the fact that her own life is tied to retrieving water impedes her future by keeping her out of school for several days at a time. In addition, the local water scarcity is compounded by water uncleanliness. Through a pen-pal exchange initiated by her school’s encouraging headmaster, Neyah becomes friends with Abby Larson, a 12-year-old girl in Minnesota. Their interactions give Neyah the courage to speak up and work toward bringing a change to her village. There’s no lack of tragedy in this story, but there are also insightful lessons about tradition and the fear of change (involving Neyah’s father), showing compassion and finding silver linings (involving Neyah’s friend Malaika), and using persuasive writing skills and remaining persistent despite rejections. Bleckwehl doesn’t shy away from portraying the harsh living conditions in Neyah’s village, but she skillfully builds the beauty of it into the narrative by including dialogue that shows appreciation for its flora and fauna.
An engaging tale about finding one’s voice and making faraway connections.Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781953491558
Page Count: 290
Publisher: Immortal Works Press
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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