An often engaging but unevenly executed story of a girl in hiding.
A tween lives with her grandmother in an over-55 community in Depner’s middle-grade series starter.
Ten-year-old Fernsnickle Hooves does her best to keep herself hidden in the strict retirement community where she lives with her grandmother, Rose. Fernsnickle has lived with Rose since she was a baby; her parents left her there when they had nowhere to live; their experience of homelessness, Fernsnickle explains, was the perfect cover for their day jobs as CIA agents. She keeps out of sight of the neighbors, who are known for enforcing the community’s rules, which don’t allow anyone younger than 55 to live there. Rose smuggles her to school each day in a bike trailer, using their dog as cover. When sightless Mr. Huckleberry moves into a nearby unit, Fernsnickle assumes that she won’t have to hide from him, but when Mr. Huckleberry drops off an invitation for her and her grandmother to have dinner with him, it’s clear that he knows that Rose has a housemate. After considering their options, they venture out and discover that Mr. Huckleberry is also harboring an underage resident: his grandson. A friendship between the two families develops, and Rose and Mr. Huckleberry collaborate to keep their grandchildren from community leaders’ notice. But tragedy strikes when the four take a vacation to the Grand Canyon, and Fernsnickle has to rely on Rose’s contingency plans. The book’s premise is an engaging one, and Fernsnickle and Rose have an affectionate but not overly sentimental relationship. Some of the girl’s all-caps linguistic habits (“NOBODY, SNOWBODY, FOEBODY”; “SUPER, DUPER, ASTALAPOOPER”) may wear on the reader over the course of the book. However, her blend of innocence and independence is compelling. At times, Depner’s approach is notably thoughtful, as when Fernsnickle describes how her parents and others deal with being houseless. That said, the book often stretches the bounds of plausibility, particularly regarding Rose’s fate, in ways that young readers may accept but others may find grating. The conclusion makes it clear that there are more adventures in Fernsnickle’s future.
An often engaging but unevenly executed story of a girl in hiding.Pub Date: July 27, 2021
ISBN: 979-8542970486
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Independently Published
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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