Garden (The Year They Burned the Books, 1999, etc.) again traverses scantly explored territory with this earnest tale of an adopted child who tries to cover up the fact that her two moms are gay. Upset after an episode of ostracism at summer camp, Holly decides to take advantage of a move to create a new persona for herself: “Yvette,” sophisticated, non-athletic, fond of ruffles and boys, above all, with a normal family. Her hurt but loving parents agree to go along with the deception, at least when her new friends are around. But what with the domestic tension, the complicated web of lies she has to concoct, plus the self-inflicted pressure to fit in, to keep silent when she hears casually malicious references to dykes and fag hags, from the outset she doesn’t much like what she’s becoming. That web comes apart eventually, but after tears and confessions Holly discovers that her true friends are untroubled by her home arrangements. As the characters here tend to model appropriate or inappropriate behavior and to express or correct misinformation, Garden’s agenda is never far from the surface. Still, while getting a good look at a close, stable, gay household, readers will understand the source of Holly’s conflicting feelings, and feel her relief at the end. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2000
ISBN: 0-374-33273-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2000
A brief, visually appealing introduction to garbage—where it comes from, where it goes. Dumps, landfills, incinerators, and a variety of recycling projects (both individual and commercial) are clearly described and illustrated with full-color photos. Especially interesting is a chapter on how an MRF (materials recycling facility) sorts and processes trash by using sorting machines that shake, blow, and apply magnets and eddy currents. Compost machines, methane gas recovery, making and recycling plastic soda bottles, and the problem of hazardous wastes are all briefly described. Specialized terms appear in italics and are defined both in the text and in the glossary (``lechate,'' ``biodegradable,'' ``white goods''). A very readable first look at an important topic. Annotated list of additional reading; organizations to write for more information; index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)l
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1991
ISBN: 0-395-56436-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1991
The author of The Blizzard of 1896 (1990) and other tall tales of the Old West goes back to an even older West for the story of an Anasazi boy with an unusual friend—an affectionate bear cub that dances when it hears music, bringing good cheer and, without fail, rain as well. Though Bird admits that his anthropology is not up to snuff, and his language has a modern sound (after the bear performs for some hunters, ``they laughed and had a great time''), the bear is an appealing animated character that behaves—and is treated—like a hairy young child. The plot tends to wander, but its mildly humorous course— punctuated by dramatic incidents (a charging buffalo, a violent thunderstorm)—holds interest. Slight but appealing, a fantasy with an unusual—and particularly well-realized—setting and small illustrations resembling southwestern petroglyphs. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: April 27, 1993
ISBN: 0-87614-748-1
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1993
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