Valuable takeaway for neurodivergent kids, though the execution is a mixed bag.
A diverse group of kids are welcomed to the ADHD clubhouse.
In rhyming verse, the Holdernesses teach kids with ADHD about the special ways their brains work while also introducing them to Bill Gates, Simone Biles, and other luminaries who have had this condition. Verse and images depict youngsters cavorting at a treehouse getaway: “This is our club, and now you’re a member.” The kids discuss the downsides (“Sometimes we are squirmy, sometimes we’re forgetful”) as well as the positives, like creativity and spontaneity. The authors also throw in a few traits thrown in that seem only tenuously related to ADHD, such as loyalty and open-mindedness. Many kids will feel seen and may learn a few things about seeing their diagnosis as a benefit rather than a problem to be overcome. It’s also clear that the Holdernesses know their audience; it’s easy to envision kids gleefully screaming “fart!” when prompted by the text. Vogel’s illustrations are fun and colorful, depicting a diverse group of children. On the other hand, the scansion is often awkward. This, along with repetitive meter and the lengthy text, makes the book lag in the latter half. While this title is full of supportive messages, most of the really useful information is relegated to the backmatter, where some young readers may not absorb it. Children with ADHD would likely benefit from exposure to the ideas in this book, but it’s more of a conversation starter than a title they’ll reach for repeatedly.
Valuable takeaway for neurodivergent kids, though the execution is a mixed bag. (authors’ notes, more information on ADHD) (Informational picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9780316597678
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books.
Curious about the Big Wide World outside his Sasquatch community, Hugo makes a friend who is of it.
Sasquatch Hugo’s bedroom is inside a cave and possesses the charming feature of a small stream running through it that he can sail his little toy boat on. It’s cool, but he yearns to see the Big Wide World. When he asks his smart friend Gigi if a Sasquatch might become a sailor, she says it’s possible but would be difficult—the primary rule of their people is to not be seen by Humans. Then, in everyone’s favorite Hide and Go Sneak class, which is held outside, a Human appears; Hugo laughs at the sight, drawing Human attention in a taboo-breaking mistake. Shortly after, Hugo’s toy boat floats into the cave with a Human toy—soon, it’s facilitating a pen-pal–type relationship that’s derailed when Hugo confesses to being a Sasquatch and Human Boone, a budding cryptozoologist, doesn’t believe him. How Hugo and Boone resolve this misapprehension and become friends in a joint search for the Ogopogo concludes this series opener. Potter keeps the third-person narrative tightly focused on Hugo’s perspective, and the details she uses to flesh out the Sasquatch world are delightfully playful. Sala’s drawings depict a homey Sasquatch cavern community, Boone as a freckled, white boy, and Hugo as a hairily benevolent behemoth.
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books. (final art unseen) (Fantasy. 5-9)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2859-4
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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