Realistically presenting the situational rather than absolute nature of some difficult choices, this engrossing novel...
Kate Tyler compromises her own values to protect her brother from bullying in this follow-up to Cummings’ The Red Kayak (2004).
Following his release from a juvenile detention center in which he was incarcerated for causing the drowning of a toddler in a kayak he and friends damaged, 14-year-old J.T. (called “Chicken Man” due to the family business) encounters vicious bullying at school. Kate, one year younger, tries to stop the bullying, even when it involves cheating: doing homework for Curtis, one of the worst bullies. Kate develops a relationship with Curtis and begins to empathize with him. As Kate weighs the importance of supporting family versus the immorality of cheating, she realizes that different situations call for different responses—things are not always black and white; there are many gray areas. Kate is a savior, trying to save not only her brother and her family, but also the chickens that they tend in deplorable conditions for a large agribusiness. Cummings touches on many issues, from environmental concerns to the pains of growing up, from antibiotic-resistant superbugs to forgiveness, yet ably manages to keep the story progressing engagingly. Minimal but sufficient back story allows this novel to stand alone.
Realistically presenting the situational rather than absolute nature of some difficult choices, this engrossing novel provides lots to ponder and discuss. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-525-42617-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
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BOOK TO SCREEN
Brava!
From award winner Telgemeier (Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
Seventh-grader Callie Marin is over-the-moon to be on stage crew again this year for Eucalyptus Middle School’s production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie's just getting over popular baseball jock and eighth-grader Greg, who crushed her when he left Callie to return to his girlfriend, Bonnie, the stuck-up star of the play. Callie's healing heart is quickly captured by Justin and Jesse Mendocino, the two very cute twins who are working on the play with her. Equally determined to make the best sets possible with a shoestring budget and to get one of the Mendocino boys to notice her, the immensely likable Callie will find this to be an extremely drama-filled experience indeed. The palpably engaging and whip-smart characterization ensures that the charisma and camaraderie run high among those working on the production. When Greg snubs Callie in the halls and misses her reference to Guys and Dolls, one of her friends assuredly tells her, "Don't worry, Cal. We’re the cool kids….He's the dork." With the clear, stylish art, the strongly appealing characters and just the right pinch of drama, this book will undoubtedly make readers stand up and cheer.
Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-32698-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
SEEN & HEARD
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