Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
Just when you think every possible teen affliction has been covered in young adult literature, along comes Howse’s debut novel about the perils of acne. Severe acne can be painful and embarrassing to any teen, but the situation is especially calamitous for 13-year-old TV-commercial actress Olivia Hughes. She’s finally started her period, and her face begins to erupt at the worst possible time. She's just sealed the deal on a national advertising campaign to be the next Wacky Water Girl, and J.W., the hottest eighth-grader, has finally noticed her. Her dermatologist suggests reducing stress, but that's not likely. Her agent is pushy, her workaholic dad has relocated after her parents’ divorce, her regretful mother tries to relive missed opportunities through Olivia’s acting and Olivia has regular tiffs with her once-best friends. At first blaming the acne on a spider bite and then allergic reactions, Olivia must not only learn to admit that she has acne but that her career could be over forever. J.W.’s freshman cousin, Theo, who has rheumatoid arthritis, helps her find perspective and self-acceptance. While descriptions of Olivia’s various treatment methods lean toward didactic rather than enlightening, her melodramatic first-person narration sums up the transition from preteen to teen and the onset of puberty. Light reading before moving on to the snark and thongs of Louise Rennison’s Georgia Nicholson books. (author’s note) (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5830-2
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
In Nina's world, children have GPS trackers until they turn 18, and surveillance satellites monitor for subversive talk. Tight control stands between young women and a threatening sexuality; at 16, teenage girls get tattooed with their age and become fair game. Fifteen-year-old Nina, unlike her friends, dreads becoming “sex-teen.” Her life is too confusing without extra complications: Her mother's just died, and Nina's half sister Dee might be legally claimed by her father to be a servant—or worse. How does the cute boy who might be a member of the resistance fit into Nina's life? And had Nina's mother been part of the resistance herself? Nina doesn't want to get involved, but she needs to protect Dee. A large suspension of disbelief is required for the dysfunctional gender politics. (How did the situation get so broken? How do teenage boys and girls manage to be friends when they're only weeks or months away from effectively legal rape?) Otherwise, a fun little thriller for the abstinence romantics. (Science fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-14-241771-3
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Speak/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2010
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