Six very short stories, some skillfully written and some just plain irresistible, about children growing up in Levittown during six different decades, with a historical prologue and a thoughtful epilogue. All of the stories are told in the first-person by narrators who are about ten years old. The first two stories—set in the 1940s and '50s, and the best in the collection—are about kids in hot water. The descriptions are comic and poignant at the same time; every word is used with great aplomb; and, though the main thrust of the stories isn't poetic, they evoke whole aspects of life in Levittown while concentrating on the central episode. In the stories set in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, Conrad (Call Me Ahnighito, p. 708) plays around with forms—the first is a dialogue, the second a diary, the third a writer's notebook. None of these has the casual lyricism of the first two, but in some indirect way, each suggests the spirit of the time. In a bold move, the last story is a tragedy, set in the same house as the first, years later. This twist links the stories obliquely and gives the book a kind of philosophical apotheosis. Levittown—the most extreme example of suburbia, where all the houses are literally identical—may have been ridiculed by some aesthetes, but Conrad hunts nostalgically down these streets the way a soldier might return to old army barracks for a look. The stories and their style charm by virtue of their lightheartedness, but for Conrad's elevation of Levittown and the sensations of childhood, she deserves even more praise. (Short stories. 8-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-590-46523-6
Page Count: 67
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid.
Black sixth-grader Jake Liston can only play one song on the piano. He can’t read music very well, and he can’t improvise. So how did Jake get accepted to the Music and Art Academy? He faked it.
Alongside an eclectic group of academy classmates, and with advice from his best friend, Jake tries to fit in at a school where things like garbage sculpting and writing art reviews of bird poop splatter are the norm. All is well until Jake discovers that the end-of-the-semester talent show is only two weeks away, and Jake is short one very important thing…talent. Or is he? It’s up to Jake to either find the talent that lies within or embarrass himself in front of the entire school. Light and humorous, with Knight’s illustrations adding to the fun, Jake’s story will likely appeal to many middle-grade readers, especially those who might otherwise be reluctant to pick up a book. While the artsy antics may be over-the-top at times, this is a story about something that most preteens can relate to: the struggle to find your authentic self. And in a world filled with books about wanting to fit in with the athletically gifted supercliques, this novel unabashedly celebrates the artsy crowd in all of its quirky, creative glory.
A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-553-52351-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
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