Unabashedly, a young hero from the margins shocks, then ultimately conquers the mainstream in this strangely compelling...
A middle-grade novel tells the story of an outsider who searches for something that will make him special.
Jarrod likes bugs. He keeps them in his bedroom and feels that they are misunderstood, just like he is. (Especially the cockroaches he’s training.) Jarrod can identify lots of different insects. He knows all about them and is happy to share. This, unfortunately, has made him an outcast. He has one friend, Gavin, but to all the other eighth-graders—indeed, to the rest of the school—he is “Bug-boy.” If that weren’t bad enough, Jarrod has a condition. Every couple of days or so, without warning or explanation, he passes out. Nobody knows why, but he has to wear a helmet—all the time. The helmet makes him look like a bug, setting him further apart. Life is difficult; even Gavin seems as if he’s drifting away. But then Jarrod swallows a fly, and suddenly everything makes sense. His condition isn’t a weakness at all: It’s a superpower (of sorts) stemming from his affinity for bugs. But who will believe him? How’s he going to track down the sickening puppy mill he’s just seen through the eyes of a fly? Stewart writes in the first-person, present tense, bringing intimacy to Jarrod’s isolation and immediacy to his plight. The boy’s regular bug eating—which forms an integral part of the story, described copiously and in graphic detail—won’t be to everyone’s taste. (He can access the memories of the pests he devours.) Yet there’s no denying the gross-out appeal of Jarrod’s metamorphosis from passive introvert to proactive, insect-crunching champion. His relationships, moreover, are worked neatly into the plot and add depth to Stewart’s (The River Keepers, 2017, etc.) lively book. Jarrod’s interactions with his parents show how superficial his differences really are; so too do his friendship with Gavin and his awkward introduction to a student called Dog-girl and the unlikely prospect of romance. Jarrod, in short, is a character whom many young readers will recognize, perhaps with unkind preconceptions. But before they know it, they’ll likely have embraced his aptitude—his “thing”—and be rooting for him.
Unabashedly, a young hero from the margins shocks, then ultimately conquers the mainstream in this strangely compelling oddity.Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9937579-8-3
Page Count: 134
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An enjoyable picture book that addresses important issues in a kid-friendly way without being preachy.
Willenbrock’s heartwarming debut picture book is the autobiographical story of how she came to share her home with a special shelter dog.
Told from the perspective of Marshall, Willenbrock’s dog, this tale tells of his unpleasant life in the home of a dog hoarder, where food for the dogs was so scarce that they fought each other at mealtime. In one of these fights, Marshall’s front leg was broken and his face was badly bitten. When animal rescuers finally found out about the animal hoarder and took the dogs away, Marshall was in such sorry shape that they didn’t know if he would make it. He ended up losing his damaged front leg and his face remained badly scarred, yet he describes the compassion of the humane society workers who helped him learn how to walk and run on three legs. He meets his new “mom” (owner) and adjusts to a life of freedom with her and her other dog, Mooshy. Though life is good, Marshall is insecure and nervous about how other dogs and people will react to the fact that he has only three legs and a big scar on his face, but he’s pleasantly surprised by the kindness of others. Heimbaugh’s realistic colored-pencil illustrations help bring Marshall’s story to life. Due to wordiness and the use of some bigger words—celebrity, socialize, limitations—this book will most likely work better as a read-aloud with school-age children. It also lends itself to discussions about the humane treatment of animals and discussions about bullying.
An enjoyable picture book that addresses important issues in a kid-friendly way without being preachy.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0615666259
Page Count: 40
Publisher: The Marshall Movement
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Unanswered questions and heavy-handed writing drain intrigue from this not-so-spooky story.
Three friends unravel old secrets lurking beneath the surface of a picture-perfect town in this young adult mystery.
Fallon and her best friend, Blair, live in the town of Whitford, a “sort of old fashioned” place where “everyone knows everyone else.” Nothing ever goes wrong there, except for local 16-year-old girls’ penchant for drowning in Whitford Pond on their 16th birthdays. That is, nothing ever goes wrong until Blair, Fallon and their new friend Lila start investigating the drownings as part of a history project. Soon after the girls paddle out to the spooky island at the middle of the pond where its victims are buried, Fallon discovers that she’s related to the pond’s first victim: Elizabeth Mason, who was engaged to the prosperous son of the town jeweler before her supposed suicide in 1750. By poking around the town historical society and badgering Fallon’s lively grandmother, Nana, the girls realize that something sinister lurks beneath Whitford’s bucolic surface. It’s only when the trio heads to the fourth floor of Whitford’s public library in search of A Genealogy of the Noble Families of Whitford: A History that they realize their quest is putting them in danger. Blair and Fallon’s friendship feels comfortable and credible, although the addition of “exotic” Lila seems like a strained plot device rather than a real-life event. Indeed, much of the plotting is convenient rather than clever; the girls’ discoveries primarily result from pushing Nana to give them information or snooping around Nana’s house—and the developments that aren’t related to Nana are foreshadowed so heavily that they come as no surprise. Another distraction: Every time that the inhabitants of Whitford scream or emphasize a turn of phrase, Fredo uses capital letters. They’re are unnecessary, for example, when Fallon says, “I JUST HAD THE BEST IDEA EVER!”
Unanswered questions and heavy-handed writing drain intrigue from this not-so-spooky story.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 172
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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