Separated by divorce, two talented sisters come together in crisis. Thirteen-year-old Donni, the artist, lives with her father. Trisha, an aspiring writer, lives with their mom. But when the increasingly incorrigible Donni is suspended from sixth grade for cursing out the vice principal, Donni’s mother brings the girls together, enlisting Trisha—whom Donni dubs “Trisha the Perfect”—as tutor. The eighth-grader accepts the challenge, happy to spend time with her estranged sister and close the gap on loneliness. Despite the support of her family and the school psychiatrist, Donni’s progress is erratic; when the vice principal rejects the portrait she’s made as a peace offering, Donni loses control, believing that he is denying her the one thing that keeps her sane in the midst of change: her art. Then Donni runs out of class the day after reading Trish’s journal and discovering that she too is having trouble. Threatened with reform school, Donni admits her emotions to her mother who explains the psychological dimensions of Donni’s discipline problems to the vice principal. Soon, he commissions Donni to decorate his office with artwork. At the same time, Donni makes amends with Trisha, who she finally recognizes as an ally. Driven by Donni, the narrative alternates with Trisha, whose voice is differentiated by the font of her journal entries. Minor flaws aside, Springer deftly portrays the acute uncertainty of adolescence. But more information about the circumstances behind the divorce and the current state of affairs between the parents would help to explain Donni’s unrelenting angst. While the plot is obvious—a child acting out in hopes of drawing the parents together—the drama makes for utterly engaging reading. (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8234-1544-9
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Ultimately more than a little full of itself, but well-stocked with big themes, inventively spun fairy-tale tropes, and...
Good has won every fairy-tale contest with Evil for centuries, but a dark sorcerer’s scheme to turn the tables comes to fruition in this ponderous closer.
Broadening conflict swirls around frenemies Agatha and Sophie as the latter joins rejuvenated School Master Rafal, who has dispatched an army of villains from Capt. Hook to various evil stepmothers to take stabs (literally) at changing the ends of their stories. Meanwhile, amid a general slaughter of dwarves and billy goats, Agatha and her rigid but educable true love, Tedros, flee for protection to the League of Thirteen. This turns out to be a company of geriatric versions of characters, from Hansel and Gretel (in wheelchairs) to fat and shrewish Cinderella, led by an enigmatic Merlin. As the tale moves slowly toward climactic battles and choices, Chainani further lightens the load by stuffing it with memes ranging from a magic ring that must be destroyed and a “maleficent” gown for Sophie to this oddly familiar line: “Of all the tales in all the kingdoms in all the Woods, you had to walk into mine.” Rafal’s plan turns out to be an attempt to prove that love can be twisted into an instrument of Evil. Though the proposition eventually founders on the twin rocks of true friendship and family ties, talk of “balance” in the aftermath at least promises to give Evil a fighting chance in future fairy tales. Bruno’s polished vignettes at each chapter’s head and elsewhere add sophisticated visual notes.
Ultimately more than a little full of itself, but well-stocked with big themes, inventively spun fairy-tale tropes, and flashes of hilarity. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: July 21, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-210495-3
Page Count: 672
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A courageous teen’s moral dilemma—and how he comes to terms with it—underscores this well-written, sometimes gripping story. A young child, for whom 15-year-old Brady Parks once baby-sat, dies after his family’s kayak sinks during an outing. Brady’s valiant attempts to revive little Ben actually get him to breathe for a few minutes. Sadly, the tiny boy succumbs and Brady’s plagued with guilt and grief. His sorrow is nothing, though, compared with the shock of discovering that the tragedy was the result of a malicious prank by his two best friends. Even worse is Brady’s discovery that he himself unwittingly gave them the idea. This sickening fact, reluctance to rat on his pals, and the thought that he, too, could be criminally charged in the death keep Brady silent. In the end, though, Brady knows what he must do. The bland title and cover might keep kids away from this strong effort. Too bad: it deserves an audience. (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-525-47317-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2004
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