In this lively chronicle of the creative ferment that led up to the invention and industry of motion pictures, Clee describes a host of ingenious devices. It’s all here, from the camera obscura (first depicted in the 15th-century, but using an optical effect described by Aristotle) to the thicket of magic lanterns, dioramas, zoetropes, stereopticons and like exotic artifacts that preceded the first true movie cameras. What really sets this apart from similar histories, though, are the penetrating insights into the strong impact that these inventions, and the wildly diverse uses to which they were put, plainly had on an early general public for whom any image, moving or still, was a relatively rare sight. The boundaries between magic and science were distinctly blurred. Richly endowed with period illustrations and backed by thorough lists of relevant books and Web sites, this entertaining historical panorama will absorb both casual viewers and serious young students of filmmaking, special effects and popular culture. (Nonfiction. 11-15)
Pub Date: June 27, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-44533-1
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2005
Dare-devil mountain-climber Peak Marcello (14), decides to scale the Woolworth Building and lands in jail. To save him, his long-lost Everest-trekking dad appears with a plan for the duo to make a life in Katmandu—a smokescreen to make Peak become the youngest person in history to summit Mount Everest. Peak must learn to navigate the extreme and exotic terrain but negotiate a code of ethics among men. This and other elements such as the return of the long-lost father, bite-size chunks of information about climbing and altitude, an all-male cast, competition and suspense (can Peak be the youngest ever to summit Everest, and can he beat out a 14-year-old Nepalese boy who accompanies him?) creates the tough stuff of a “boys read.” The narrative offers enough of a bumpy ride to satisfy thrill seekers, while Peak’s softer reflective quality lends depth and some—but not too much—emotional resonance. Teachers will want to pair this with Mark Pfetzer’s Within Reach: My Everest Story (1998). (Fiction. 12-15)
Pub Date: May 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-15-202417-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2007
Mick Johnson wants to be a star running back. He’s good, but not good enough. The trouble is the red zone, the 20 yards in front of the end zone, and he’s not quite powerful enough to crunch his way in against big defenders. He begins working harder, lifting weights and taking protein powders, but progress is slow. He starts going to Popeye’s gym, where his trainer introduces him to steroids—gym candy—and then to “stacks,” mixes of pills and injections. This cautionary tale, told in first person, is a methodical working out of the psychology of the high-school athlete willing to do anything to gain an edge. It’s a moral tale, too, as Mick realizes what he has lost for his gains. After almost killing a friend and himself and going through rehab, he understands the almost-irresistible lure of the drugs that promise to make him more than he could be on his own. A superb sports novel with no easy resolutions and a good match with Robert Lipsyte’s Raiders Night (2006). (Fiction. 12-15)
Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-618-77713-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2007
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