In the sequel to The Pox Party (2006), Octavian Nothing escapes the College of Lucidity and flees to British-controlled Boston, where he will swear fealty “to whoever offers emancipation with the greatest celerity.” When Lord Dunmore offers manumission to slaves joining the British counterrevolutionary forces, Octavian joins the Royal Ethiopian Regiment off the coast of Virginia. He not only fights the rebels but records the stories of his fellow Africans and escaped slaves so their names and stories will not be lost. In so doing, Octavian receives a first-hand education quite different from his classical training and offers readers an African-American perspective neglected in most sources on the period. Elegantly crafted writing in an 18th-century voice, sensitive portrayals of primary and secondary characters and a fascinating author’s note make this one of the few volumes to fully comprehend the paradoxes of the struggle for liberty in America. Prefaced by an outline of volume one, this can stand alone, but readers who finish both will feel that they have been part of a grand and special adventure. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7636-2950-2
Page Count: 592
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008
A beautiful, emotionally charged novel.
Friendship evolves into a fiery, complex first love for two teen girls.
This nonlinear novel in verse begins at the end, as a queer Black couple stand on opposite sides of a bridge, their relationship crumbling. The first and last poems—both titled “After the Fire”—are the only times the story is told from the point of view of the partner, a girl only ever referred to as “you.” The unnamed narrator begins by alternating between the history of their tumultuous relationship and the day things begin to unravel, when the pair set fire to a dumpster in their high school’s parking lot. In addition to exploring queerness—the narrator is attracted to other girls, her partner is bisexual—Woodfolk also writes about how girls, especially Black girls, learn that what other people think about how they look can put them in danger. The two met at a coffee shop and soon became friends, partners in trouble, and each other’s everything. Through the economical and expressive poems, readers are pulled into the narrator’s deep, shifting emotions as her feelings for her friend change. The rich language describing the way the two love each other is magnificent: “we added up to a little too much. // You loved me more than I knew. / I loved you more than you could take.” Fire is a symbol throughout, and the final flames aptly represent the passion and volatility of this relationship.
A beautiful, emotionally charged novel. (Verse novel. 14-18)Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-358-65535-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Versify/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
A fairy-tale spin-off with the sensuality and dark complexity of a contemporary fantasy.
A Disney princess narrative tempered by a dose of reality.
Princess Aurora of Austria remembers being Briar Rose and struggles to unite her two conflicting identities. She still recalls singing at the tavern in Hausach with her two best friends, but her new, privileged status comes with heavy responsibilities. First, Aurora witnesses the brutal murder of her father, King Stefan, by Matilda of Bavaria. Now, Frankfurt seeks a new emperor, and Aurora must step up and oppose Queen Matilda’s candidacy with her own. Still reeling from the shock of losing her father, she navigates a dangerous system. New to the world of political intrigue, Aurora relies heavily on the advice of her magical fairy aunts Flora and Merryweather. She also enters into marriage with Prince Phillip. Meanwhile, Aurora continues to have disturbing visions that make her wonder whether Maleficent is dead after all. This novel answers many of the questions left unanswered in the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty. The characters in the book also have greater complexity and provide social commentary about violence, trauma, and class disparities. Aurora’s fairy-tale life doesn’t seem nearly as rosy as the happily-ever-after version would have us believe. Twists and turns—and a small dose of spice—will appeal to modern readers and challenge a more reductive version of events. Main characters are cued white.
A fairy-tale spin-off with the sensuality and dark complexity of a contemporary fantasy. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781368092845
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
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