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BLOOD BROTHERS IN LOUISBOURG

Name: BLOOD BROTHERS IN LOUISBOURG
Author: Philip Roy
ISBN: 978-1-897009-72-7

by Philip Roy ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2012

This rather dry offering may find a place in a history classroom; however, the lack of an absorbing story and truly...

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In 1744, two brothers, unbeknownst to each other, arrive at the French fortress of Louisbourg in what is now Nova Scotia and find themselves swept up in what is destined to be an important battle between the French and English.

Jacques, a scholar and musician at heart whose mother resides in France, has been forced by his officer father into the French army and required to accompany him to Louisbourg to help defend the fortress. Jacque’s half brother, Two-Feathers, the son of a Mi’kmaq woman, begins sneaking around the stronghold in hopes of identifying and perhaps meeting the father he has never known. Chapters alternate between the third-person perspective of Two-Feathers and the first-person narration of Jacques, a narrative strategy presumably designed to shed light on the Mi’kmaq and French cultures as well as on their perceptions of each other. In the closest thing to an interesting plot twist, Jacques finds happiness only when he teaches a young French woman to play the violoncello, while Two-Feathers spends his time finding food for, and falling in love with, this same young woman.

This rather dry offering may find a place in a history classroom; however, the lack of an absorbing story and truly compelling characters will cause most casual readers to soon abandon the tale, if they pick it up in the first place. (Historical fiction. 12-17)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-897009-72-7

Page Count: 146

Publisher: Cape Breton University Press

Review Posted Online: July 18, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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DON'T CALL ME HERO

by Ray Villareal ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 31, 2011

A good story with some unexpected twists

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After saving the life of a famous model, a 14-year-old Mexican-American boy learns the pressures of popularity and the definition of true heroism.

Dallas freshman Rawly Sánchez knows that life is not perfect. His older brother Jaime is in prison, while his mother’s Mexican restaurant is barely staying afloat. Now, he can’t even visit his brother on Saturdays anymore, or he will miss the required tutoring for the algebra class he is failing. Small bursts of happiness come in the comic books he loves and in hanging out with his nerdy, often-annoying, wisecracking Jewish best friend Nevin Steinberg. Things take a turn for the worse when someone accidentally sets a pig loose in his mom’s restaurant, and the incident makes the local news. Then, Nevin talks Rawly into performing as a duo at the school talent show, where he makes a fool of himself in front of his crush, Miyoko. Everything changes when Rawly misses his bus stop and ends up rescuing 22-year-old model Nikki Demetrius when her car plunges into a river. Instantly, Rawly is on the local and national news, hailed as a hero for saving Nikki’s life. The third-person narration follows Rawley’s journey as he learns who his real friends are and the difference between comic-book and real-world heroes.

A good story with some unexpected twists . (Fiction. 12-15)

Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2011

ISBN: 978-1-55885-711-7

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Arte Público

Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ME

by Karen Rivers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2012

Though the footnotes feel gimmicky and distracting, readers will likely be able to look past them (or just skip over them)...

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Cleverly woven through the titular encyclopedia—with entries as seemingly mundane as “Apple” and “Oxen”—is the touchingly real and often humorous story of a preteen’s struggles with family, friendship and first love.

Isadora “Tink” Aaron-Martin, nearly 13, means to make the most of her recent grounding by using her time on house arrest to write an encyclopedia, heavily annotated with footnotes. Frustrated by her reputation as the peacemaker, Tink’s entries about life with an autistic brother are fresh and painfully honest. Rivers doesn’t tiptoe around the destructive impact the syndrome can have on a family. Rather, through Tink, she explores what it’s like to grow up in a house where everyone is constantly walking on eggshells, waiting for the next violent outburst. But family isn’t the only place where Tink feels invisible. She also walks in the shadow of her “best friend,” Freddie Blue Anderson, who seems to care more about being “pops” (popular) than about Tink. It isn’t until a blue-haired skateboarder named Kai moves in next door that she gradually finds the strength to put herself first, both at home and at school.

Though the footnotes feel gimmicky and distracting, readers will likely be able to look past them (or just skip over them) and cheer for Tink as she comes into her own. (Fiction. 12-14)