Lark is a mixed-race girl debuting a lighthearted series; with a little effort, she may develop into a character with a fan...
Key words: mixed race. Dyslexic. Twin. Girl. Private investigator. But the real question is: can she find the missing key to the library?
Although there are many labels that could be placed on this short chapter book’s protagonist, none of them matter to the plucky little heroine who loves to read. Lark Ba pops awake at 5:00 a.m. because she and her twin brother, Connor, are going to the library. But Mrs. Robinson has lost the key, and the library is not open! Lark’s insatiable appetite for learning makes her uniquely qualified to solve this mystery. Deen pens her first chapter book with a simple plot through which Lark’s character is explored. In first person, Lark explains the names of her paternal, Korean grandmother (Halmoni) and her maternal, Kenyan grandfather (Babu). Cutler’s illustrations depict these racial distinctions, but Lark goes through life just like many other sassy little heroines. She doesn’t even see the slight when a blonde, white girl named Sophie calls her “Baa baa Lark sheep.” Brother Connor, with the right amount of eye-rolling, provides the balance to this lively character, and the subjects of race and learning disabilities are incorporated neatly. Endnotes discuss some of the words Lark ponders.
Lark is a mixed-race girl debuting a lighthearted series; with a little effort, she may develop into a character with a fan base, like Ramona and Clementine before her. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4598-0727-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Parents: Beware what happens behind your child’s closed door when you pronounce: “Go to your room!” (Picture book. 6-9)
This may be one of those books parents don’t want their children to read—of course, the prohibited is all the more attractive.
Ben is no stranger to spending some time alone in his room: He gets sent there. A lot. Therefore, he has some tips to pass along to readers. First, get the apology out of the way early to avoid further punishment. Next, raid the hiding places where you’ve stashed food. (What?! You mean you don’t have any? Drop this right now and go find some!) To while away the time, Ben makes some tough decisions (regarding his birthday wish list), redecorates his room (tape and magazine cutouts are involved!) and plays with his pets. Sorting baseball cards, organizing collections and making faces at his big brother are also great activities. And since Ben shares a room with said brother, he can usually count on his time being shortened, as his “mom never leaves us alone together in our room.” A page turn shows why. Hand-drawn and digitally colored illustrations bring Ben to life for readers: the gleam in his eye, his mischievous grin, his imagination, his deadpan manner, the false emotions he puts on to apologize. But by the end, readers may be wondering whether Ben purposefully gets sent to time out—it seems to be that much fun.
Parents: Beware what happens behind your child’s closed door when you pronounce: “Go to your room!” (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6052-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartfelt evocation of the importance of place and family.
A child disgruntled by a drizzly winter day is cheered up by a trip to the pantry.
“Bumping down the stairs [feels] nothing like sledding,” which has Mary out of sorts: The rain in Juneau has melted all the snow. But when she complains to her father about their damp climate, he defends their “homeland” by giving the little girl a tour of their pantry, chock-a-block with the foods they hunted or harvested around Juneau. There’s salmon, of course, both canned and smoked, and deer, along with dried seaweed and blueberries. Each of the foodstuffs comes with a story about how it was obtained, celebrations of family and geography that have Mary convinced that their homeland “is a pretty good place to live” by the end of the book. Though it isn’t explicitly stated, Mary and her father are likely Alaskan Natives, like the author and illustrator Rizal. While the narrative is a long one, pushing the slim book to six short chapters, the warm relationship between Mary and her dad and the exciting adventures Daddy relates should help to keep readers engaged. Rizal’s collages employ Northwest Coast Indian patterns and motifs, and their incorporation into Koch’s mixed-media paintings is the strongest element of the book; black-and-white vertical strips evoke both totem poles and birch trees looming over the autumnal landscape in one striking full-page image.
A heartfelt evocation of the importance of place and family. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60223-232-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Univ. of Alaska
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2014
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