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
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
More gift book than storybook, this is a meaningful addition to nursery bookshelves
A young child explores the unlimited potential inherent in all humans.
“Have you ever wondered why you are here?” asks the second-person narration. There is no one like you. Maybe you’re here to make a difference with your uniqueness; maybe you will speak for those who can’t or use your gifts to shine a light into the darkness. The no-frills, unrhymed narrative encourages readers to follow their hearts and tap into their limitless potential to be anything and do anything. The precisely inked and colored artwork plays with perspective from the first double-page spread, in which the child contemplates a mountain (or maybe an iceberg) in their hands. Later, they stand on a ladder to place white spots on tall, red mushrooms. The oversized flora and fauna seem to symbolize the presumptively insurmountable, reinforcing the book’s message that anything is possible. This quiet read, with its sophisticated central question, encourages children to reach for their untapped potential while reminding them it won’t be easy—they will make messes and mistakes—but the magic within can help overcome falls and failures. It’s unlikely that members of the intended audience have begun to wonder about their life’s purpose, but this life-affirming mood piece has honorable intentions. The child, accompanied by an adorable piglet and sporting overalls and a bird-beaked cap made of leaves, presents white.
More gift book than storybook, this is a meaningful addition to nursery bookshelves . (Picture book. 2-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-946873-75-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
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