Adapted from the author's bestselling adult title Lion of Ireland (1980), about the charismatic man who united the Irish under his rule in the tenth century. Brian mac Kennedy, the youngest son of a minor Irish prince, is a carefree child until his mother is murdered and their home destroyed in a Viking raid. The bereft ten-year-old is sent to be educated in a monastery. There he learns the lessons of history and trains himself as both warrior and scholar. He grows into an imposing figure, a brilliant military tactician, and a natural leader. His goals change: No longer content to chase the Vikings from Ireland, he wants to subdue the fighting Irish clans and let the nation live in peace. He succeeds and ultimately becomes High King of the Irish. The story ends in 1014, with Brian Boru fighting his last battle to save the hard-won kingdom. Llywelyn, like the chroniclers of the time, makes no attempt to draw her hero with human flaws. She does, however, endow him with emotions, and the book's most convincing moments are tragic onesthe ten-year-old crying over his mother's body, the elderly Boru hearing of his son's death in battle. A satisfying tale of majesty and magic. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 12+)
Pub Date: June 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-312-85623-7
Page Count: 156
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
With rare honesty, a former teenage mother shares her own experiences while putting forth many other options. This is a handbook about feelings, including some—like apathy—that are rarely discussed, with emphasis on success stories whatever the choice. For Arthur herself, the experience has been both a struggle (fighting the urge to call her daughter a sister) and a joy (gaining confidence in making choices). With many lists of suggestions (stress reducers; getting realistic about the father's role; pros and cons of abortion; planning for unplanned sex; dietary precautions; going to school; etc.), the pages become an empathetic workbook in decision making. In its practicality and insistence on motivation and persistence as keys to success, this nicely complements Kuklin's What Do I Do Now? (p. 730) as must reading during a crisis—or better yet, before it occurs. Bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 12+)
Pub Date: June 15, 1991
ISBN: 0-930934-46-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1991
Though Jesse, 15, and her family have returned to summer on the St. Lawrence River after many years' absence, they quickly settle into familiar patterns. Then Jesse, with her younger sister Emma and best friend Maggie, locates a hidden stash of cocaine. They leave it alone, but their proximity to the hiding place is noted by members of a drug ring; when the cocaine is later missing, the girls, blamed by the smugglers, are thought to be in danger. Several coincidences later, the ring is ``broken,'' the girls safe. Characters, relationships, and the splendid setting are all wonderfully well realized in this first novel; unfortunately, the plot's intrigues and machinations are overabundant and the finale is rather flat. Atmospheric, if occasionally tiresome. (Fiction. 12+)
Pub Date: April 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-316-41867-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1991
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