An imaginative and strange tale that could use a bit more plot development.
A schoolboy goes on a dangerous adventure to the Brazilian jungle to save a magical plant in this debut children’s tale.
Young Gavin is devastated after his beloved pet gerbil dies, and at school, a bully and a mean substitute teacher, Mrs. Wiseman, don’t improve his spirits. One day, in his backyard, he digs up an unusual plant with metallic leaves and a strawberry-shaped head that talks like a human being, and Gavin calls his new best friend “Rainbow.” Rainbow is lonely and will die if someone doesn’t bring him home to Brazil. It turns out that Mrs. Wiseman’s husband went missing in that country, so she and Gavin, along with her dog, Scrapper, head down to South America. Two villains who want to steal Rainbow sneak along as well, but they’re the least of Gavin’s problems; once he gets to Brazil, he and his companions face many other obstacles, including a rickety rope bridge across a whitewater river and attacks by ants, wild pigs and a water monster. However, Gavin resolves to save Rainbow no matter what it takes. Pearson’s prose is technically polished though perhaps sometimes a bit heavy on action-adventure clichés. Although the concept of a talking plant is a fun one, readers may find other plot points distractingly nonsensical; for example, the two villains knock out a wealthy lord and lady on the way to the airport and then steal their clothes, which allows them to successfully board a plane thus disguised. Gavin’s friendship with Rainbow is also poorly developed; they become best friends overnight, and the reason for the boy’s loyalty goes unexplained. Readers (and their parents) should also be aware that the story contains some violent elements—death included. That said, the story is mostly fast-paced, inventive and unpredictable, and young readers who can suspend disbelief may find much to interest them.
An imaginative and strange tale that could use a bit more plot development.Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2013
ISBN: 978-1480217966
Page Count: 80
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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