A rallying cry for anyone looking for a strong example of perseverance.
Brazilian surfer Gabeira offers a fictionalized version of her childhood with this story of an adventurous young girl who overcomes sexism and self-doubt to become a great athlete.
The inhabitants of the fishing village of Nazaré, Portugal, are in awe of a massive wave known as the Beast. A young villager named Maya has asthma and brings medicine with her wherever she goes; though shy, Maya finds fulfillment when moving her body during dancing, gymnastics, and swimming. Having grown up hearing about the Beast, she goes to see it for herself and is in awe of the massive wave, though she also notices boys surfing on it. Maya decides to try surfing, which her father encourages. The boys at the beach tell her surfing is no sport for girls, and she nearly believes them until a voice in a seashell tells her not to give up. Both text and illustrations offer a stirring account of Maya’s journey to surfing mastery. The Beast begins as a spectacle from afar, filling the page with its sheer scope. Maya is often framed within or beneath its crest, including a wonderful scene of her would-be hecklers watching dumbfounded as she joyously surfs ahead of them. Maya and her family are brown-skinned; for the most part, other residents of Nazaré range in skin color from tan to brown. In an author’s note, Gabeira describes growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and, in 2007, setting a Guinness record for the largest wave ever surfed at Praia de Norte in Nazaré. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A rallying cry for anyone looking for a strong example of perseverance. (Picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4197-6000-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Wholesome, uncomplicated fare for the younger Matt Christopher crowd.
Lupica kicks off a new series starring a pair of 8-year-old twins who solve sports-themed mysteries.
Even the pleasures of competing in various events during his school’s Spirit Week dim a smidge for Zach Walker when the prized autographed baseball he brings to his third-grade class for show and tell vanishes. Happily, his bookish but equally sports-loving sister, Zoe, is on the case, and by the time of the climactic baseball game at week’s end, she has pieced together clues and deductions that lead to the lost treasure—which had not been stolen but batted through an open window by the teacher’s cat and stashed in a storage shed by the custodian. In the co-published sequel, The Half-Court Hero, the equally innocuous conundrum hangs on the identity of the mysterious “guardian angel” who is fixing up a run-down playground basketball court. Along with plenty of suspenseful sports action, the author highlights in both tales the values of fair play, teamwork, and doing the “right thing.” The Walker family presents white, but in both the narrative and Danger’s appropriately bland (if inappropriately static) illustrations, the supporting cast shows some racial and ethnic diversity.
Wholesome, uncomplicated fare for the younger Matt Christopher crowd. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-425-28936-5
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
A delightful follow-up from a writer who understands children, family, and culture.
In this second installment of the Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream series, Zayd navigates challenging times on his new basketball team and changing relationships with both his best friend and his favorite uncle.
Pakistani-American fourth-grader Zayd has made it to the elite gold team, but now the team is losing games. His best friend, Adam, whom Zayd loves playing with, is losing interest in basketball and is acting different. Zayd’s uncle Mamoo is also less fun to be around; he’s at the center of plans for his upcoming wedding, which is all anyone at home talks about. The family holds planning meetings and dinners, and they travel out of state to shop for the wedding in Edison, a “Little Pakistan”–like town in New Jersey. When Adam misses basketball practice, the coach puts Zayd on point guard. Zayd is not sure he can do it, but the harder he works, the more his confidence and abilities grow. He even shares some lessons from basketball with his uncle and soon-to-be aunt about taking charge while being a team player. Khan stays firmly in Zayd’s perspective while keeping the many elements of his life—family, friends, and passions—in focus too. With just enough action to keep readers turning the pages and a sprinkle of age-appropriate realizations throughout, this small book is a great pick for elementary-age readers. Players on Zayd’s team are diverse; Adam is Jewish.
A delightful follow-up from a writer who understands children, family, and culture. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1202-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
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