An imperfect but sometimes-stirring tragedy.
Cheatham relates the story of a troubled teenager in this fourth installment of a historical-fiction series.
It’s 1910, and 11-year-old Trudy Cameron is enjoying her life. Since her mother, Zoe, married Sam Benton, she now has two extra siblings, including younger stepsister Bailey. The two White girls spend their days doing fun activities, which include catching frogs and building houses for them out of sand. Trudy is intrigued by their Black neighbors, the Blaynes, including Nettie, a woman who has troubling seizures that cause her to wander off. The girls are fascinated by Nettie’s 13-year-old granddaughter, Manuela, when she becomes part of the Blayne household even though Trudy’s brother, Will Cameron, mysteriously warns them to stay away from her. The girls befriend Manuela, nonetheless, and attempt to catch her up on what they’re studying in school. Manuela strongly dislikes Old Man Aaron, the Whitecotton farmer who employs her family as pickers, but Trudy doesn’t understand why; after all, he’s always nice to Trudy and her siblings. Then Manuela is mysteriously attacked and injured; later, the girls see her in town, crouched in an alley with her hair cut short. What exactly is she going through? The brutal truth,when Trudy learns it, will change her perspective on her world. Cheatham’s prose, as narrated by Trudy, is textured and finely tuned to the time period and setting: “When Sunday came, all of us Camerons and Bentons, dressed in our second-best Sunday clothes, loaded into the Model T and motored down the dirt highway toward Hot Coffee. Papa Sam turned onto a bumpy road, no wider than a cow’s trail, to Antioch Church.” The inherent tension between Trudy’s cheery worldview and Manuela’s family’s troubled lives makes for a compelling read. However, many readers will likely guess the secret at the heart of the tale. Also, the fact that Manuela’s story is filtered through Trudy’s perspective feels antiquated and slightly exploitative, as the Black girl’s unvoiced suffering is presented, in part, as a learning experience for the White protagonist. Still, the book does succeed in demonstrating the girls’ starkly different life experiences.
An imperfect but sometimes-stirring tragedy.Pub Date: July 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-888141-02-3
Page Count: 183
Publisher: Southeast Media
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A contemporary hero’s journey, brilliantly told.
The 17-year-old son of a troubled rock star is determined to find his own way in life and love.
On the verge of adulthood, Blade Morrison wants to leave his father’s bad-boy reputation for drug-and-alcohol–induced antics and his sister’s edgy lifestyle behind. The death of his mother 10 years ago left them all without an anchor. Named for the black superhero, Blade shares his family’s connection to music but resents the paparazzi that prevent him from having an open relationship with the girl that he loves. However, there is one secret even Blade is unaware of, and when his sister reveals the truth of his heritage during a bitter fight, Blade is stunned. When he finally gains some measure of equilibrium, he decides to investigate, embarking on a search that will lead him to a small, remote village in Ghana. Along the way, he meets people with a sense of purpose, especially Joy, a young Ghanaian who helps him despite her suspicions of Americans. This rich novel in verse is full of the music that forms its core. In addition to Alexander and co-author Hess’ skilled use of language, references to classic rock songs abound. Secondary characters add texture to the story: does his girlfriend have real feelings for Blade? Is there more to his father than his inability to stay clean and sober? At the center is Blade, fully realized and achingly real in his pain and confusion.
A contemporary hero’s journey, brilliantly told. (Verse fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-310-76183-9
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Blink
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
PERSPECTIVES
An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage.
Adrian, the youngest of the Montague siblings, sails into tumultuous waters in search of answers about himself, the sudden death of his mother, and her mysterious, cracked spyglass.
On the summer solstice less than a year ago, Caroline Montague fell off a cliff in Aberdeen into the sea. When the Scottish hostel where she was staying sends a box of her left-behind belongings to London, Adrian—an anxious, White nobleman on the cusp of joining Parliament—discovers one of his mother’s most treasured possessions, an antique spyglass. She acquired it when she was the sole survivor of a shipwreck many years earlier. His mother always carried that spyglass with her, but on the day of her death, she had left it behind in her room. Although he never knew its full significance, Adrian is haunted by new questions and is certain the spyglass will lead him to the truth. Once again, Lee crafts an absorbing adventure with dangerous stakes, dynamic character growth, sharp social and political commentary, and a storm of emotion. Inseparable from his external search for answers about his mother, Adrian seeks a solution for himself, an end to his struggle with mental illness—a journey handled with hopeful, gentle honesty that validates the experiences of both good and bad days. Characters from the first two books play significant secondary roles, and the resolution ties up their loose ends. Humorous antics provide a well-measured balance with the heavier themes.
An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage. (Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-291601-3
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
