Historical fiction for children is full of characters like Alexandra—a plucky young girl with 21st-century attitudes. The setting is Judea circa 165 B.C.E. and the land is ruled by the Syrian Greek Antiochus. Alexandra, who would be considered an overachiever in any era, is prodded by her mother, a classic (and classical) pushy parent, to follow the example of Queen Esther and write an account of the grave dangers faced by the Jews under the rule of a tyrant. Alexandra roams the streets of Jerusalem with her friend Rachel, whose hair is always neat while the literate Alexandra eschews the wooden comb and mirror her mother gave her as well as any other decorative enhancements to her appearance. It is through her eyes that readers see the gradual tightening of the noose around the necks of the Jews, culminating in the sacking of the Temple. Alexandra’s father leaves to join the group of fighters known as the Macabees, the Hammers for God, led by the courageous Judah. Three years pass before Alexandra can recount the miraculous victory of the heavily outnumbered Macabees over the Greeks. The passage of time sees changes in Alexandra: she sports a new hairdo and an age-appropriate interest in boys. Chaikin (Angels Sweep the Desert Floor, not reviewed, etc.) places more emphasis on the drama of the battle for religious freedom won by the Macabees than on the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days. She succeeds in fleshing out the familiar story with historical detail. Fieser’s (Invisible Kingdoms, p. 1480, etc.) colorful, soft-focus illustrations include a historical map of Judea. (author’s note, afterword) (Fiction. 10-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-8050-6384-6
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2002
A tween gets in over his head in this introspective and nostalgic story.
Thirteen-year-old Joey Goodman spends every August in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at his grandparents’ hotel.
It’s 1975, and the city is soon to become a gambling resort as old hotels are replaced with casinos. Joey’s passion is playing Skee-Ball at the boardwalk arcades. There, he attracts the attention of shady Artie Bishop, known as the king of Steel Pier, and becomes involved in Bishop’s unspecified criminal activities. Suave Artie engages Joey in conversation about the boy’s favorite book, The Once and Future King, and Joey begins to regard him almost as a new King Arthur. Artie offers him a job chaperoning his daughter, Melanie, when she comes to visit. After Joey finishes his unpaid waiter’s shift at the hotel restaurant each day, he lies to his family, meets Melanie, and they explore the piers’ seedy amusements. Joey falls for 15-year-old Melanie, and she regards him fondly but is attracted to his older brother Reuben. The close-knit Jewish family of four bickering brothers, parents, uncle, and grandparents (especially wise grandpa Zeyde) is lovingly portrayed. The descriptions of Joey’s ponderings about God (he’s had his bar mitzvah but is undecided) and Artie’s business dealings may not hold young readers’ interest, and the immersive setting could appeal more to adults old enough to remember the time and place. All characters are presumed White.
A tween gets in over his head in this introspective and nostalgic story. (author’s note) (Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72843-034-8
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
A beautifully rendered setting enfolds a disappointing plot.
In sixth grade, Izzy Mancini’s cozy, loving world falls apart.
She and her family have moved out of the cottage she grew up in. Her mother has spent the summer on Block Island instead of at home with Izzy. Her father has recently returned from military service in Afghanistan partially paralyzed and traumatized. The only people she can count on are Zelda and Piper, her best friends since kindergarten—that is, until the Haidary family moves into the upstairs apartment. At first, Izzy resents the new guests from Afghanistan even though she knows she should be grateful that Dr. Haidary saved her father’s life. But despite her initial resistance (which manifests at times as racism), as Izzy gets to know Sitara, the Haidarys’ daughter, she starts to question whether Zelda and Piper really are her friends for forever—and whether she has the courage to stand up for Sitara against the people she loves. Ferruolo weaves a rich setting, fully immersing readers in the largely white, coastal town of Seabury, Rhode Island. Disappointingly, the story resolves when Izzy convinces her classmates to accept Sitara by revealing the Haidarys’ past as American allies, a position that put them in so much danger that they had to leave home. The idea that Sitara should be embraced only because her family supported America, rather than simply because she is a human being, significantly undermines the purported message of tolerance for all.
A beautifully rendered setting enfolds a disappointing plot. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-374-30909-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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