British-Mexican 13-year-old Josh Garcia has always been a fan of UFOs and conspiracy theories, but he never thought he’d find himself actually mixed up with both. He returns home from a boring day at school, however, to the news that his archeologist father has died in a plane crash over Mexico. Josh can’t believe the conclusions of the authorities: His father was killed by his mistress’s jealous husband. When that idea sends Josh’s mother to the psychiatric ward, Josh jets off to Central America with his best friend, Tyler, and Olivia, a 16-year-old blogging buddy. Unknown relatives, shady American intelligence agents and a living Mayan city all play a part in what turns out to be Josh’s destiny. The first of three already out in the United Kingdom, Harris’s American debut is a great idea in need of some good old-fashioned editing. Glacial pacing, characters without character and a blog that couldn’t be more fifth-wheel conspire against this tale of the impending Mayan-predicted apocalypse. A gee-whiz website, secret (crackable) alphabet and vigorous hand-selling might help this find an audience among patient thriller seekers. (Adventure. 12-14)
Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8027-2095-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: Dec. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
When Clara Luna, 14, visits rural Mexico for the summer to visit the paternal grandparents she has never met, she cannot know her trip will involve an emotional and spiritual journey into her family’s past and a deep connection to a rich heritage of which she was barely aware. Long estranged from his parents, Clara’s father had entered the U.S. illegally years before, subsequently becoming a successful business owner who never spoke about what he left behind. Clara’s journey into her grandmother’s history (told in alternating chapters with Clara’s own first-person narrative) and her discovery that she, like her grandmother and ancestors, has a gift for healing, awakens her to the simple, mystical joys of a rural lifestyle she comes to love and wholly embrace. Painfully aware of not fitting into suburban teen life in her native Maryland, Clara awakens to feeling alive in Mexico and realizes a sweet first love with Pedro, a charming goat herder. Beautifully written, this is filled with evocative language that is rich in imagery and nuance and speaks to the connections that bind us all. Add a thrilling adventure and all the makings of an entrancing read are here. (glossaries) (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2006
ISBN: 0-385-73343-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2006
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