An upbeat and humorous look at self-discovery.
Finding oneself is no easy task.
Life has handed Cuban American 12-year-old Maggie Diaz a lot of changes recently. With mom finishing up her accounting degree, a new baby brother, dad traveling for work, and now having to share a room—and a bunk bed—with her abuela, she’s glad she can at least count on her two best friends. Maggie has big plans for a superawesome seventh grade year, all hinging on her ability to convince her mother that she is responsible and mature enough to finally get a cellphone. It doesn’t help that Caro, her 16-year-old sister, is absolutely perfect—a standard that messy and forgetful Maggie feels like she’ll never be able to meet. When her besties seem preoccupied with their own interests, however, Maggie decides to take matters into her own hands and try to discover where her passions lie by joining several school clubs. Becoming overcommitted and (unexpectedly) lonely, Maggie works to tease out her real interests while her plans for a perfect year seem to be crumbling around her. This novel presents an honest portrayal of navigating many of the changes that come with moving from elementary to middle school. Lively, engaging illustrations throughout add detail and visual interest to the narrative. Diverse representation is woven naturally into the story.
An upbeat and humorous look at self-discovery. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-74061-5
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Compassionate and compelling.
Sixth grade cousins learn to navigate complicated family dynamics.
Cal came to live with Hannah and her parents nearly 15 months ago. The two share a mean-spirited, alcoholic grandmother; their Italian heritage; and red hair. Hannah, a gymnast and dancer, has enjoyed stability, attention, and affection from her parents. Cal’s life has been filled with the loss of his mother at age 9 followed by a period of abuse and neglect by his now-imprisoned father. Cal suffers from PTSD and a defensive kind of vigilance while Hannah resents that Cal’s peculiar behavior makes him a target at school. Brief chapters in the first-person voices of Cal and Hannah reveal their divergent personalities. Imaginative Cal describes the world in terms of “Fact or Fiction,” his statements and answers offering sometimes wryly ambiguous observations of his experience. Practical and more certain of herself, Hannah’s poems with the header “Definition” are a jumping-off point for sharing glimpses into a more physically and emotionally privileged childhood. Hopkins’ use of free verse provides a canvas for sure-handed, brush-stroke development of the backstory and plot and emotional investment and identification with the characters. A school lockdown and shooting at the climax of the story allow Cal to demonstrate his new ability to connect with others and to see the ways that kindness can come back around.
Compassionate and compelling. (author's note) (Verse fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-10861-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
Thought-provoking and full of heart; a genuinely pleasurable read.
Before he ages out of seeing Holy Beings, Nathan must find water monster Dew a mentor.
A couple of years after the events of Healer of the Water Monster (2021), Nathan’s life in Phoenix, Arizona, is changing—he and his mother, Janet, are moving in with Janet’s boyfriend and his son, the book’s co-protagonist, Edward. More than that, Nathan’s going through puberty and knows his time with Dew is limited—her new guardian will be Edward. But to ensure that Dew learns the water monster songs, she needs a mentor. Nathan wants it to be powerful water monster Yitoo Bi’aanii, who eagerly returns to the Fourth World. Upon seeing how her river has dwindled, Yitoo declares that an Enemy is stealing the water. The quest to thwart the Enemy is quickly complicated as the stakes rise and the heroes face conflicting loyalties. The environmentalist narrative embraces nuance and complications, avoiding easy answers without undermining the possibility of a hopeful future. Edward, newly informed of his Diné family’s brutal relocation era story, also struggles with inherited trauma, while Yitoo, who was witness to the violence, carries the atrocities with her. Additionally, Edward grapples with the fact that his late mother was White and with being the only household member who is not fully Diné. The bittersweet ending is as beautiful as the prose describing the fantastical journey to get there.
Thought-provoking and full of heart; a genuinely pleasurable read. (author’s note, glossary, note from Cynthia Leitich Smith) (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9780062990433
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Heartdrum
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
