Dealing with sibling rivalry may be a common picture-book theme, but this book’s droll and amusing approach is a welcome...
A pampered cat narrates his tale of woe when a new baby joins the family.
Hinck (Great Love: The Mary Jo Copeland Story, 2013) nails Chester’s voice from the start. “Hi, everyone! It’s me, Chester. I know what you’re thinking: Wow, that is one handsome cat!” Lemaire’s cat-centric illustrations radiate Chester’s attitude and range of emotions. When Mom, whose head is out of the frame, rubs his belly, he’s shown lolling back with eyes half closed. Chester’s description of his perfect “before” life goes on too long, though the self-absorbed tend to do that. When Mom and Dad announce they are leaving and Grandma is coming, Chester grows uneasy: The text reads, “ ‘I object!’ I said. I flattened my ears out so they would know that I was serious,” while Chester’s speech balloon simply says, “Meow!” Using cats’ actual body language to describe Chester’s feelings is an inspired choice; kids will relate to the jealousy big siblings often feel, and they’ll also learn to read their pets’ signals. Eventually, the parents return home with a “package” Chester believes is a gift to make it up to him—until out comes a “screaming, screeching, bouncing, banging creature! The baby, they called it.” The family is so enamored, “it was like I didn’t even exist. You can imagine the horror.” The indignities build until the family points out that the baby loves Chester, too. “If having my fur pulled out by the roots is love, then I am going to need a lot of therapy.” Just as Chester thumps his tail in protest, the baby giggles, and Chester learns that the baby will fall asleep when he snuggles up and purrs. This gives the rest of the family time to pay attention to Chester, an outcome he finds supremely pleasing: “I win!” School-age siblings will appreciate the wry humor in Chester’s snappy remarks—“No one ever cheers when I poop”—while his discovery that his interactions with the baby can have positive effects may encourage big brothers and sisters to make similar discoveries of their own.
Dealing with sibling rivalry may be a common picture-book theme, but this book’s droll and amusing approach is a welcome addition to the genre.Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-1492190301
Page Count: 50
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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