A beautifully rendered coming-of-age story.
A boy and his best friends embark on a pilgrimage that delivers bittersweet life lessons in a richly rendered, West African–inspired world.
Ezomo is a 10-year-old boy from the village of Sesa. Secluded from the outside world by an impenetrable hedge of sweet thorn trees and a moss-covered door, Sesa has strict rules and traditions. No one is to open the village door, and no child is to go out at night without an adult. Called useless for his daydreaming ways, Ezomo has been considered a nuisance since his father’s passing 3 years ago; his grief has been a constant burden, interfering with his ability to be a contributing village member or of any help to his mother. Ezomo’s two best friends, Chimama and Muja, are treated as outcasts thanks to their parents’ shameful shortcomings. One day Ezomo spots a leopard in the forest that he believes was responsible for his father’s death. With his friends, Ezomo sets out to capture the leopard as vengeance. Their quest and ensuing desperate circumstances lead them to the forbidden village door—and the potential discovery of weighted secrets. They may have to break the rules to rectify past wrongs and salvage their own futures. Paasewe-Valchev’s prose is captivating, smooth, and poetic in its delivery of this fresh and layered narrative. With well-timed, fluid pacing, this novel masterfully deals with themes of friendship, family, loss, and hope. Readers will be engrossed from start to finish.
A beautifully rendered coming-of-age story. (Fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-299361-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious.
If you made a recording to be heard by the aliens who found the iPod, what would you record?
For 11-year-old Alex Petroski, it's easy. He records everything. He records the story of how he travels to New Mexico to a rocket festival with his dog, Carl Sagan, and his rocket. He records finding out that a man with the same name and birthday as his dead father has an address in Las Vegas. He records eating at Johnny Rockets for the first time with his new friends, who are giving him a ride to find his dead father (who might not be dead!), and losing Carl Sagan in the wilds of Las Vegas, and discovering he has a half sister. He even records his own awful accident. Cheng delivers a sweet, soulful debut novel with a brilliant, refreshing structure. His characters manage to come alive through the “transcript” of Alex’s iPod recording, an odd medium that sounds like it would be confusing but really works. Taking inspiration from the Voyager Golden Record released to space in 1977, Alex, who explains he has “light brown skin,” records all the important moments of a journey that takes him from a family of two to a family of plenty.
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-18637-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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