Well crafted and wonderfully fresh.
Sofia Christina Savea shares what life is like during times of political unrest in 1970s Wellington, New Zealand.
Through diary entries, readers are introduced to vibrant Sofia, who is growing up biracial—pālagi (White) and Samoan—as she turns 13 and starts to consider the shifting world around her. Protests against dawn raids, as police hunt for Pacific Islanders who have overstayed their visas, and activism to encourage Māori land and language reclamation start to frame her perspectives around equality. Sofia’s developing awareness bridges her transition to becoming a teenager as she takes on a job to be able to buy her own things but also contributes to her family’s financial well-being. She is invited into conversations around civil rights in her community, particularly through her family’s involvement with the Polynesian Panthers, modeled after the Black Panthers. Vaeluaga Smith skillfully balances the joy Sofia experiences when she tastes McDonald’s for the first time or is learning Māori songs and games with thoughtful considerations of state violence against Pacific Islanders and how it intimately affects her family and friends. The accessible language allows space for Sofia, and readers, to tip in and out of complex ideas and politics that hold present-day relevance. Hunkin’s charming illustrations provide visual insight into the world presented so vividly in the text. A comprehensive historical note presents real-life heroes whose humanity is well-emphasized through the diary format.
Well crafted and wonderfully fresh. (historical note, glossary, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64614-041-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
Certain to steal hearts.
In this follow-up to 2020’s The One and Only Bob, Ruby the elephant is still living at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary.
She’s apprehensive about her Tuskday, a rite of passage for young elephants when she’ll give a speech in front of the rest of the herd. Luckily, she can confide in her Uncle Ivan, who is next door in Gorilla World, and Uncle Bob, the dog who lives nearby with human friend Julia. Ruby was born in an unspecified part of Africa, later ending up on display in the mall, where she met Ivan, Bob, and Julia. The unexpected arrival of someone from Ruby’s past life on the savanna revives memories both warmly nostalgic and deeply traumatic. An elephant glossary and Castelao’s charming, illustrated guide to elephant body language help immerse readers in Ruby’s world. Goofy, playful, and mischievous Ruby is fully dimensional, as she has shown her bravery during the many hardships of her young life. Applegate deftly tempers themes of grief and loss with compassion and humor as Ruby finds her place in the herd. The author’s note touches on climate change, the illegal ivory trade, and conservation efforts, but the highly emotive framing of the story through the memories of a bewildered baby elephant emphasizes the impact of lines such as “ ‘in Africa,’ I say softly, ‘there were bad people,’ ” without offering readers a nuanced understanding of the broader context that drives poaching.
Certain to steal hearts. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780063080089
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
A pitch-perfect middle-grade novel that insightfully explores timely topics with authenticity and warmth.
A nuanced novel about a neurodiverse preteen’s political and social awakening by a Pura Belpré Honor–winning author.
Sixth grader Emilia Rosa Torres sometimes has a hard time keeping up with schoolwork and concentrating on one thing at a time, but her software-developer mother and superinvolved abuelita help her keep on task. Days before her father’s return to their Atlanta suburb from his most recent deployment, her mother goes on a business trip, leaving the middle schooler to juggle his mood swings, her friend troubles, and her looming assignments all on her own. When a social studies project opens her eyes to injustices past and present, Emilia begins to find her voice and use it to make an impact on her community. Writing with sensitivity and respectful complexity, Cartaya tackles weighty issues, such as immigration, PTSD, and microaggressions, through the lens of a budding tinkerer and activist who has ADHD. The members of this Cuban American family don’t all practice the same religion, with Emilia’s Catholic grandmother faithfully attending Mass multiple times a week and the protagonist’s mother celebrating her culture’s Yoruba roots with Santería. Conversations on race and gender crop up through the narrative as Emilia’s grandmother likes to emphasize her family’s European heritage—Emilia can pass as white, with her fair complexion, light eyes and auburn hair. All of these larger issues are effortlessly woven in with skill and humor, as is the Spanish her family easily mixes with English.
A pitch-perfect middle-grade novel that insightfully explores timely topics with authenticity and warmth. (author’s note) (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-451-47972-3
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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