Though afflicted with hyperbolic commentary that’s more of a distraction than an enhancement, this tale makes riveting reading. The authors braid together an account of how three dozen Ukrainian Jews hid from Nazis and hostile local residents by retreating into a massive complex of gypsum caves for nearly a full year; an ingenious detective story about a modern search for the scattered survivors; and a recent visit to the still-not-thoroughly-explored subterranean complex south of Kiev. The fugitives, some of whom were small children, survived isolation, malnourishment and constant danger for 344 days, and their achievement hardly needs lines like, “ . . . united against a common oppressor, their will to live was unshakable,” or several generic scenes of German soldiers in the field misidentified as Gestapo on a “search for escaping Jews,” shoehorned into the marvelous array of underground photos and old and new family portraits. Based largely on a privately published memoir and an emotionally charged collective interview, this is a unique and absorbing addition to the library of Holocaust testimonials written for younger readers. (time line) (Nonfiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-58013-260-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2007
A memorable tribute to a notably versatile inventor: From his first invention at age 11 to his last, 64 years later, Bell “recorded everything, sketched every idea, documented every experiment.” Clearly, Matthews does not lack for source material, but rather than weigh readers down with a long recitation of accomplishments, he covers some high spots (the telephone, Bell’s work with the deaf, experiments in flight, and his role in the National Geographic Society) on the way to creating a character study, a portrait of a man who both earned and knew how to enjoy success, and who never lost his sense of wonder. The fluent text is matched to an expertly chosen array of photographs, encompassing not only family scenes and closeups of small, complex devices, but such seldom-seen treasures as Mark Twain’s telephone bill, and a choked mass of wires suspended over New York City’s Broadway. So upbeat is the tone that the tragedies and challenges in Bell’s life seem downplayed, but readers will come away with a good sense of who the man was and what he did. (chronology, bibliography, index) (Biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7922-7391-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
Another well-researched, well-written entry in a recent spate of books (Jennifer Armstrong’s Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, 1999), articles, and exhibitions about the amazing survival of the crew of the Endurance. As in the Armstrong book, Kimmel recounts the efforts of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s team, who set out in 1914 to cross the Antarctic continent, but ended up trapped in the ice in a ship which was slowly crushed, then made a painful journey to rescue across ice floes, storm-tossed seas, and a mountain range said to be impassable. With larger photographs and typeface—and fewer novelistic flourishes—than the Armstrong book, this version is appropriate for the middle-grade audience. Kimmel tells the exciting story well; the riveting adventure may inspire further interest in history and exploration. (index, not seen, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 26, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-91524-4
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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