This outspoken narrator should monologue her way into readers’ hearts and teach them a few valuable lessons along the way.
What do you get when you combine a free-spirited young girl with a world full of rules? Hijinks—and lots of them.
In this debut middle-grade novel, Zoey Grace Song loves to talk, make her special chocolate pancakes, and take charge of any situation. She starts the sixth grade off by constantly getting into trouble—for being a distraction in class, bleaching her hair, and (accidentally) setting off a small explosion in school. She always seems to march to the beat of her own drum, often to her parents’ chagrin. Zoey’s mostly able to shrug off any naysaying in a refreshingly self-assured fashion, but sometimes the criticisms get to her, especially when she’s compared to her perfect twin sister, Zelena. (Thinking about a teacher, Zoey wonders whether “Mrs. Lewis would like me better if I was like Zelena.”) In her series opener, Lowery sometimes exaggerates Zelena’s maturity or other characters’ defining traits to the point of absurdity. But the 12-year-old author displays real empathy when the players have to contend with Zoey’s attention-grabbing ways. The protagonist is always excited to be in the spotlight: joining a local Scout troop, starting several businesses, and even hanging her own artwork at museums. When she can’t join the track team with her sister, Zoey’s upset, but Zelena provides a welcome dose of reality: “This is the first time people will focus on me as me, instead of Zoey’s twin.” Lowery writes with heart and ends Zoey’s sixth-grade year with a stirring speech about being yourself and learning from one another (“It doesn’t matter what others think of you, it only matters what you think of yourself”).
This outspoken narrator should monologue her way into readers’ hearts and teach them a few valuable lessons along the way.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-692-90898-3
Page Count: 202
Publisher: Charlie's Port
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This should send Dark Knight fans flying to the Batcave—or the bedroom.
Holy bedtime, Batman!
In a sleepy-looking neighborhood under a dusky cerulean sky, a young, brown-haired, white boy goes through the motions of getting ready for bed: he brushes his teeth, takes a bath, picks up his toys, and feeds his fish. In a parallel visual narrative, beckoned by the cat's-eye–yellow bat-signal, Batman keeps Gotham safe for another night by catching crooks, locking them away, and avenging those who have been wronged. Though the two characters are quite different, through a carefully flexible narrative, Dahl and Beavers weave a convincing tale of just how similar they might be. “It’s time to take care of business” describes the child’s trip to the potty and Batman’s dive down a manhole equally well, for instance. Beavers' art is visually striking and vibrantly hued, perfect for keeping young eyes glued to each page. Dahl's economical text is cadenced with a gentle lilt, just right for a bedtime read-aloud. Young fans of the caped crusader will delight in spying their favorite characters. In the already-overstuffed bedtime-book market, this is certainly a niche read, but it hits its mark well, delivering fun without darkness. A “bedtime checklist” at the end aptly includes “story time.”
This should send Dark Knight fans flying to the Batcave—or the bedroom. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62370-732-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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