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MY LIFE OF CRIME

Name: MY LIFE OF CRIME
Author: Richard Jennings
ISBN: 0-618-21433-X

by Richard Jennings ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 2002

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An otherwise law-abiding and unremarkable—by design—sixth-grader finds himself almost irresistibly drawn to a life of larceny after he “liberates” a mistreated parrot from a third-grade classroom. Like his predecessor in Jennings’s The Great Whale of Kansas (2001), Fowler is a distinctly idiosyncratic and fundamentally solitary kid. He takes as his guide to life Bleeth’s Complete Compendium for Boys, which seems to have the answer to almost every question under the sun, organized for almost transparent access. As Fowler says, however, “The only problem with relying on Bleeth whenever you’re stumped for an answer is that Bleeth uses big words where smaller ones would do. After a lifetime of exposure to this, I sometimes catch myself talking like him.” Indeed, Fowler’s voice is so preternaturally unchildlike, so arch in its irony, that it is hard to believe in him. The actual narrative—Fowler steals the bird and then becomes more and more entangled in his own plot to keep the bird from discovery, even going to such lengths as to take oboe lessons from the very teacher he stole the parrot from—is mildly amusing. But without any real investment in Fowler as a living, breathing character, the reader may find herself questioning some of the key elements—such as Fowler’s parents’ extended and indefinite absence, leaving him with no real adult supervision and no money whatsoever. Secondary characters are likewise quirky but not much else, making this offering an ultimately tepid effort that never really pulls itself together to become the sly farce it is clearly meant to be. (Fiction. 10-13)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2002

ISBN: 0-618-21433-X

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Walter Lorraine/Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2002

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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HOW TO SPEAK DOLPHIN

by Ginny Rorby ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2015

Dolphin lovers will appreciate this look at our complicated relationship with these marine mammals.

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Is dolphin-assisted therapy so beneficial to patients that it’s worth keeping a wild dolphin captive?

Twelve-year-old Lily has lived with her emotionally distant oncologist stepfather and a succession of nannies since her mother died in a car accident two years ago. Nannies leave because of the difficulty of caring for Adam, Lily’s severely autistic 4-year-old half brother. The newest, Suzanne, seems promising, but Lily is tired of feeling like a planet orbiting the sun Adam. When she meets blind Zoe, who will attend the same private middle school as Lily in the fall, Lily’s happy to have a friend. However, Zoe’s take on the plight of the captive dolphin, Nori, used in Adam’s therapy opens Lily’s eyes. She knows she must use her influence over her stepfather, who is consulting on Nori’s treatment for cancer (caused by an oil spill), to free the animal. Lily’s got several fine lines to walk, as she works to hold onto her new friend, convince her stepfather of the rightness of releasing Nori, and do what’s best for Adam. In her newest exploration of animal-human relationships, Rorby’s lonely, mature heroine faces tough but realistic situations. Siblings of children on the spectrum will identify with Lily. If the tale flirts with sentimentality and some of the characters are strident in their views, the whole never feels maudlin or didactic.

Dolphin lovers will appreciate this look at our complicated relationship with these marine mammals. (Fiction. 10-13)

Pub Date: May 26, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-545-67605-2

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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FREEING FINCH
by Ginny Rorby

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LOST IN THE RIVER OF GRASS
by Ginny Rorby

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THE OUTSIDE OF A HORSE
by Ginny Rorby

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RED-EYED TREE FROG

by Joy Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1999

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Bishop’s spectacular photographs of the tiny red-eyed tree frog defeat an incidental text from Cowley (Singing Down the Rain, 1997, etc.). The frog, only two inches long, is enormous in this title; it appears along with other nocturnal residents of the rain forests of Central America, including the iguana, ant, katydid, caterpillar, and moth. In a final section, Cowley explains how small the frog is and aspects of its life cycle. The main text, however, is an afterthought to dramatic events in the photos, e.g., “But the red-eyed tree frog has been asleep all day. It wakes up hungry. What will it eat? Here is an iguana. Frogs do not eat iguanas.” Accompanying an astonishing photograph of the tree frog leaping away from a boa snake are three lines (“The snake flicks its tongue. It tastes frog in the air. Look out, frog!”) that neither advance nor complement the action. The layout employs pale and deep green pages and typeface, and large jewel-like photographs in which green and red dominate. The combination of such visually sophisticated pages and simplistic captions make this a top-heavy, unsatisfying title. (Picture book. 7-9)