Pitched directly at sports fanatics, Wallace’s new novel follows an 11-year-old boy during his first visit to Camp Olympia, where he’ll join with his new buddies in Cabin Three to compete with five other cabins in various sports for the coveted camp trophy. Riley is one of the youngest and smallest boys in the camp and knows he’ll be ignored until he proves himself. However, Riley is a true sportsman, giving his all even in the sports in which he doesn’t excel. Soon he’s included in the shenanigans of his cabinmates, including the rivalries that extend outside of sport into trashing other cabins. The author includes horrifying ghost stories and the menace of a legendary snapping turtle rumored to live in the camp’s lake, but most of the narrative follows Riley’s efforts at basketball, baseball, long-distance running and especially swimming, his best sport, with camp statistics listed after each chapter. The tale sticks fairly close to realism, allowing Riley to win and lose, and builds good suspense during the final showdown. Good fun for young sportsmen. (Fiction. 9-13)
Pub Date: April 13, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-375-84059-3
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2010
An action-packed story of legacy, identity, and the enduring spirit of Puerto Rico.
Cousins team up for a summer of discovery.
Nico’s summer plans for a family trip from New York to Puerto Rico, where he was born, are upended when his parents decide to stay behind to “work things out”—it will be Trial Separation Number Two. Instead, Nico travels solo to stay with Abuela. He reunites with cousins Kira and Nessie, who are also spending the summer there without their parents. Still reeling from being wait-listed by LaGuardia, a prestigious arts high school, Nico hopes to redeem himself by winning a prize at a film festival with an entry that celebrates the magic of Puerto Rico and could earn him admission. But when the cousins spot a shadowy creature on the island, their project takes a supernatural turn. As they investigate the mysterious presence, they uncover connections to Taíno mythology, deeply buried family secrets, and some very real dangers. With richly detailed writing, heartfelt and comedic dialogue, and an honest spotlight on Puerto Rico’s real-life struggles (including the impact of natural disasters and economic woes), Piñeiro’s latest is a vibrant blend of contemporary coming of age with mythological adventure. Nico’s unforgettable summer is deeply rooted in love for family, storytelling, and the history of a place that is both magical and real.
An action-packed story of legacy, identity, and the enduring spirit of Puerto Rico. (map, author’s note, glossary) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781728230559
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers will cheer the birth of this comedian.
Eleven-year-old Yumi Chung doesn’t have anyone to sit with at lunch, but she secretly harbors dreams of becoming a comedian. Shy + Asian + Girl = Comedian? Why, yes. Yes, it does.
Winston Preparatory Academy is a shy person’s nightmare. Yumi hides from the beautiful girls and the bullies who call her “Yu-meat” because she smells like her parents’ Korean barbecue restaurant. This summer, her parents are demanding that she go to Korean summer school, or hagwon, to get a near-perfect score on the high school entrance exam—because that is the only way to attend an elite college, like her superachiever sister, a 20-year-old med student. Yumi collects all of her fears and frustrations (and jokes) in her Super-Secret Comedy Notebook. When a case of mistaken identity allows her to attend a comedy camp taught by her YouTube idol, Yumi is too panicked to correct the problem—and then it spirals out of control. With wonderful supporting characters, strong pacing, and entertaining comedy bits, debut author Kim has woven a pop song of immigrant struggle colliding with comedy and Korean barbecue. With their feet in two different cultures, readers listen in on honest conversations, full of halting English and unspoken truths painting a realistic picture of 21st-century first-generation Americans—at least a Korean version. By becoming someone else, Yumi learns more about herself and her family in an authentic and hilarious way.
Readers will cheer the birth of this comedian. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-525-55497-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
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