Readers who experience anxiety will undoubtedly identify with—and hopefully find comfort in—Ari’s story.
A young monster learns to be brave as she struggles with anxiety.
Harriet “Ari” Hairstein wants to be a monsterologist when she grows up, but when she has to give a presentation in monsterology class, she panics. Even though she’ll be talking about her favorite animal, the manglemane lion, when she thinks about speaking in public, she can’t breathe, her stomach hurts, and her heart pounds. Ari is plagued by catastrophic thinking and nightmares until her friends Marvin and Timmy, each of whom tackled their own troubles in previous Monster Diaries (ADHD and screen addiction, respectively), offer to help her with ST4 strategies, or STOP: Take Time To Think. The book emulates a Diary of a Wimpy Kid design, with lined pages, faux hand-printed typeface, and kidlike line drawings. Helpful backmatter includes a parents’ guide with activities for alleviating stress and anxiety in children and instructions on how to use co-author Melmed’s ST4 program. A wide array of monster types populates Ari’s world. There are clues that Ari’s loving family is Jewish: Bobbe (her grandmother) is similar to the Yiddish Bubbe, and Harriet’s nickname, “Ari,” means lion in Hebrew; immigrant Bobbe is possibly Polish (she makes a lot of borscht, or in their case, roarscht, and pierogis).
Readers who experience anxiety will undoubtedly identify with—and hopefully find comfort in—Ari’s story. (Fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64170-127-3
Page Count: 116
Publisher: Familius
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode.
A long-running series reaches its closing chapters.
Having, as Kline notes in her warm valedictory acknowledgements, taken 30 years to get through second and third grade, Harry Spooger is overdue to move on—but not just into fourth grade, it turns out, as his family is moving to another town as soon as the school year ends. The news leaves his best friend, narrator “Dougo,” devastated…particularly as Harry doesn’t seem all that fussed about it. With series fans in mind, the author takes Harry through a sort of last-day-of-school farewell tour. From his desk he pulls a burned hot dog and other items that featured in past episodes, says goodbye to Song Lee and other classmates, and even (for the first time ever) leads Doug and readers into his house and memento-strewn room for further reminiscing. Of course, Harry isn’t as blasé about the move as he pretends, and eyes aren’t exactly dry when he departs. But hardly is he out of sight before Doug is meeting Mohammad, a new neighbor from Syria who (along with further diversifying a cast that began as mostly white but has become increasingly multiethnic over the years) will also be starting fourth grade at summer’s end, and planning a written account of his “horrible” buddy’s exploits. Finished illustrations not seen.
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47963-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
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A charming contemporary story with a classic feel.
A 10 ¾-year-old girl weathers changes in her social circle—and her sense of self.
Dubbed “Queen of the Neighborhood” by beloved neighbor Mr. Chapman, who has sadly left Maryland for balmy Florida, Zara is apprehensive when a family with two kids moves into his house, potentially upsetting the delicate social balance. Readers familiar with Khan’s Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream books, set a few years after this series opener, will recognize the bustling Pakistani American Muslim household. Assertive, organized Zara and rambunctious 7-year-old Zayd live with their Mama and Baba; the siblings’ grandparents and uncle are integral parts of their daily lives. Zara and Zayd enjoy playing outside with their friends—Black sisters Jade and Gloria, White Alan, and Chinese American Melvin. Mr. Chapman always said that Zara knew how to “rule with grace and fairness,” but new arrivals Naomi and Michael, Jewish kids who are eager to engage socially, put this to the test. When Jamal Mamoo, Mama’s brother, brings over his Guinness World Records book, Zara decides that becoming a world-record holder is the boost her social status needs. Her humorous (and futile) attempts to make her mark ultimately lead her to being a more patient and understanding big sister and more flexible and supportive companion to friends old and new. Strong pacing, fluid prose, engaging hijinks, and heartwarming scenes of family life and outdoor play are complemented by expressive illustrations.
A charming contemporary story with a classic feel. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: April 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-9759-7
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
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