A well-written YA novel that balances honest storytelling with a strong anti-bullying message.
A would-be heroic high school junior comes to terms with both his sexuality and his behavior toward others.
In this YA novel, Kerick (Love Spell, 2015) tells the story of jock Bryan, who wakes up one morning with an urge to put on a Superman-style cape and “help those in need.” He makes an effort to be nice to his mother, rescues a kitten from a tree, and even fights for environmentally friendly packaging for his breakfast sandwich—but he has no memory of something crucial that happened at a party the previous weekend or of his secret relationship with his classmate Scott. As Bryan tries to figure out what he did wrong, he also decides to reject the bullying of his basketball team friends, become a part of the greater community, and reconnect with his estranged father. As he gradually comes to terms with what he did, he develops a new maturity and responsibility and becomes someone Scott can love in return. The snappy, clever narrative voice can be grating at times, particularly early in the story (“In fact, if I wasn’t the absolute highest man on the Appleton High School jock totem pole…I was a respectable distance north on that pole”). However, the tone evolves along with Bryan and eventually becomes endearing (“You see, as a kid, I’d been secretly petrified of Santa Claus, since I’d always been confident that I was on his ‘The Very Naughtiest Boys in America’ list”). Bryan’s emotional growth and coming-out story are handled well, without an excess of sentimentality, which would be implausible in a determinedly macho teenage boy. The anti-bullying themes, though clear, aren’t presented in a didactic way and never overwhelm the narrative, making the book an enjoyable one for readers willing to have patience during the early pages.
A well-written YA novel that balances honest storytelling with a strong anti-bullying message.Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-62798-721-9
Page Count: 190
Publisher: Harmony Ink
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires.
Little Blue Truck feels, well, blue when he delivers valentine after valentine but receives nary a one.
His bed overflowing with cards, Blue sets out to deliver a yellow card with purple polka dots and a shiny purple heart to Hen, one with a shiny fuchsia heart to Pig, a big, shiny, red heart-shaped card to Horse, and so on. With each delivery there is an exchange of Beeps from Blue and the appropriate animal sounds from his friends, Blue’s Beeps always set in blue and the animal’s vocalization in a color that matches the card it receives. But as Blue heads home, his deliveries complete, his headlight eyes are sad and his front bumper droops ever so slightly. Blue is therefore surprised (but readers may not be) when he pulls into his garage to be greeted by all his friends with a shiny blue valentine just for him. In this, Blue’s seventh outing, it’s not just the sturdy protagonist that seems to be wilting. Schertle’s verse, usually reliable, stumbles more than once; stanzas such as “But Valentine’s Day / didn’t seem much fun / when he didn’t get cards / from anyone” will cause hitches during read-alouds. The illustrations, done by Joseph in the style of original series collaborator Jill McElmurry, are pleasant enough, but his compositions often feel stiff and forced.
Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-358-27244-1
Page Count: 20
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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