An irrepressible young heroine provides readers with a slice of life along New York State's Hudson River during the Roosevelt era in this epistolary novel. The Depression—at least during the period of September 1937 to June 1938—doesn't dim Hannah's spirits, but she recognizes that it forced her best friend Aggie's family to move away. Hannah's first letters are to Aggie, who never writes back. So Hannah writes to her grandparents who run a candy store in the Bronx, to a pen pal in Kansas, and finally, to President and Mrs. Roosevelt. The movies, radio programs, penny candy treats, and financial hardships of the time come through the prism of Hannah's sweet but never mawkish letters, with their asides, addenda, and postscripts. The White House letters—invented by Skolsky but true to the tone of letters from FDR, Eleanor, and Missy, FDR's secretary—respond to Hannah's daily concerns and also illuminate the private lives of these very public people. Her friendship with Edward, who lives on a farm in Kansas, is developed neatly through a correspondence that starts out badly before blossoming realistically. Hannah's bright, clear voice rings with joy, even when she is grounded for slipping off on the river ferry without permission, and later for swearing at the school bully. Cheery and winning. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-7894-2492-4
Page Count: 246
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1998
Budding billionaire Greg Kenton has a knack for making money and a serious rival. When he issues his first Chunky Comic Book at the beginning of sixth grade, his neighbor and classmate Maura Shaw produces an alternative. Their quarrel draws the attention of the principal, who bans comics from the school. But when they notice all the other commercial messages in their school, they take their cause to the local school committee. Without belaboring his point, Clements takes on product placement in schools and the need for wealth. “Most people can only use one bathroom at a time,” says Greg’s math teacher, Mr. Z. Greg gets the message; middle-grade readers may ignore it in favor of the delightful spectacle of Greg’s ultimate economic success, a pleasing result for the effort this up-and-coming young businessman puts into his work. Clements weaves intriguing information about comic book illustration into this entertaining, smoothly written story. Selznick’s accompanying black-and-white drawings have the appearance of sketches Greg might have made himself. This hits the jackpot. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: July 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-689-86683-6
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2005
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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