by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1995
Following Naylor's six earlier books about this heroine (Alice In Between, 1994, etc.), this installment finds Alice and friends Pamela and Elizabeth on the eve of eighth grade, and smoothly chronicles their twelfth summer. It's a summer of guilty secrets and secret fears. Unknown to anyone, Alice (whose swimmer mother died of leukemia) is terrified of deep water; more than drowning, she dreads looking weird to the boys who hang around Mark's pool. Unknown to Mark, Pamela plans to dump him; and unknown to her parents, Elizabeth has borrowed their Arabian Nights, piquing everyone's interest in "Yemeni wrigglings" and "Abyssinian sobbings." In the course of the summer Alice's Dad dates but doesn't get engaged to English teacher Miss Summers; her brother Lester doesn't choose between his two girlfriends; and, in spite of an ominous chain letter, nothing bad happens to anyone. With a swimming lesson from Lester, Alice conquers her pool phobia in a single afternoon and resolves not to get stuck in life's shallow end. Elizabeth starts making up for lost time with the boy who dumped her because she wouldn't kiss him; and Pamela starts wearing deodorant, the subject of a whole chapter entitled "Armpits." Fans of the series or those undergoing their own suburban teen angst will not be disappointed; others will find Alice unchallenging. (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: May 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-689-80095-9
Page Count: 131
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1995
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by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor ; illustrated by Vivienne To
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by Tae Keller ; illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 6, 2018
A compassionate glimpse of mental illness accessible to a broad audience. (Fiction. 10-14)
A middle school story in which parental depression manifests itself in absence.
Natalie’s vivacious botanist mother (who’s white) has retreated from life, leaving her therapist husband (who’s biracial) and daughter to fill the gaping hole she has left. With the help of an egg-drop contest and a scientific-method project, Natalie explores breakable things and the nurturing of hope. Narrating in first-person, the mixed-race seventh-grader (1/4 Korean and 3/4 white) is drawn to her mother’s book, titled How to Grow A Miracle. It reminds her of when her mother was excited by science and questions and life. With a STEM-inspired chapter framework and illustrated with Neonakis’ scientific drawings, Keller’s debut novel uses the scientific method to unpack the complex emotions depression can cause. Momentum builds over nine months as Natalie observes, questions, researches, experiments, and analyzes clues to her mother’s state of mind. Providing support and some comic relief are her two sidekicks, Dari (a smart Indian immigrant boy) and Twig (Natalie’s wealthy, white best friend). The diversity of the characters provides identity and interest, not issue or plotline. Tension peaks at the egg-drop contest, as the three friends plan to use the prize winnings to bring Natalie’s mother back to life with a gift of a rare cobalt blue orchid. Paralleling their scientific progress, Natalie reluctantly experiences her first visits to talk therapy, slowly opening like a tight bloom.
A compassionate glimpse of mental illness accessible to a broad audience. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-1566-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
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by Tae Keller ; illustrated by Geraldine Rodríguez
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by Tae Keller ; illustrated by Geraldine Rodríguez
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by Tae Keller ; illustrated by Geraldine Rodríguez
by Tae Keller ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 28, 2020
Longing—for connection, for family, for a voice—roars to life with just a touch of magic.
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A young girl bargaining for the health of her grandmother discovers both her family’s past and the strength of her own voice.
For many years, Lily’s Korean grandmother, Halmoni, has shared her Asian wisdom and healing powers with her predominantly White community. When Lily, her sister, Sam—both biracial, Korean and White—and their widowed mom move in with Halmoni to be close with her as she ages, Lily begins to see a magical tiger. What were previously bedtime stories become dangerously prophetic, as Lily begins to piece together fact from fiction. There is no need for prior knowledge of Korean folktales, although a traditional Korean myth propels the story forward. From the tiger, Lily learns that Halmoni has bottled up the hard stories of her past to keep sadness at bay. Lily makes a deal with the tiger to heal her grandmother by releasing those stories. What she comes to realize is that healing doesn’t mean health and that Halmoni is not the only one in need of the power of storytelling. Interesting supporting characters are fully developed but used sparingly to keep the focus on the simple yet suspenseful plot. Keller infuses this tale, which explores both the end of life and coming-of-age, with a sensitive examination of immigration issues and the complexity of home. It is at one and the same time completely American and thoroughly informed by Korean culture.
Longing—for connection, for family, for a voice—roars to life with just a touch of magic. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5247-1570-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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by Tae Keller ; illustrated by Geraldine Rodríguez
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by Tae Keller ; illustrated by Geraldine Rodríguez
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by Tae Keller ; illustrated by Geraldine Rodríguez
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