A supporting cast of wise, offbeat adults helps a child steer his way through an ugly divorce in this quirky, advice-heavy debut. Manhattan map in hand, Kyle, 9, sits next to his cabdriving uncle Hank on Sundays, pointing out fares, discussing routes, and chewing over whatever topics come to mind. One pick- up, Marcella, introduces Kyle to her fierce 7-year-old neighbor Ruby, and Hank to Lydia, Ruby's gentle, Moroccan-born mother. With his parents' relationship hitting the rocks (``hitting'' is the operative term), Kyle finds himself spending more and more time with this impromptu family. Whether helping Kyle choose a costume or easing him through the idea of her impending death, Marcella makes a perfect grandmother, and when she's not around, comfort and analysis are always available from either Uncle Hank or some amusingly flamboyant fare. The grown-ups are so vividly drawn that Kyle is pale and ordinary in comparison, and the plot takes a violent swerve at the end, planting Hank, Lydia, Ruby, and Kyle on a ship to Morocco, as Kyle's mother stays behind to care for their apartments. Readers will enjoy the characters, but the earnest lessons and sudden switches of mood make the novel a somewhat bumpy ride. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1996
ISBN: 0-399-23104-8
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
The Baudelaire children—Violet, 14, Klaus, 12, and baby Sunny—are exceedingly ill-fated; Snicket extracts both humor and horror from their situation, as he gleefully puts them through one terrible ordeal after another. After receiving the news that their parents died in a fire, the three hapless orphans are delivered into the care of Count Olaf, who “is either a third cousin four times removed, or a fourth cousin three times removed.” The villainous Count Olaf is morally depraved and generally mean, and only takes in the downtrodden yet valiant children so that he can figure out a way to separate them from their considerable inheritance. The youngsters are able to escape his clutches at the end, but since this is the first installment in A Series of Unfortunate Events, there will be more ghastly doings. Written with old-fashioned flair, this fast-paced book is not for the squeamish: the Baudelaire children are truly sympathetic characters who encounter a multitude of distressing situations. Those who enjoy a little poison in their porridge will find it wicked good fun. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-440766-7
Page Count: 162
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
A beautifully rendered setting enfolds a disappointing plot.
In sixth grade, Izzy Mancini’s cozy, loving world falls apart.
She and her family have moved out of the cottage she grew up in. Her mother has spent the summer on Block Island instead of at home with Izzy. Her father has recently returned from military service in Afghanistan partially paralyzed and traumatized. The only people she can count on are Zelda and Piper, her best friends since kindergarten—that is, until the Haidary family moves into the upstairs apartment. At first, Izzy resents the new guests from Afghanistan even though she knows she should be grateful that Dr. Haidary saved her father’s life. But despite her initial resistance (which manifests at times as racism), as Izzy gets to know Sitara, the Haidarys’ daughter, she starts to question whether Zelda and Piper really are her friends for forever—and whether she has the courage to stand up for Sitara against the people she loves. Ferruolo weaves a rich setting, fully immersing readers in the largely white, coastal town of Seabury, Rhode Island. Disappointingly, the story resolves when Izzy convinces her classmates to accept Sitara by revealing the Haidarys’ past as American allies, a position that put them in so much danger that they had to leave home. The idea that Sitara should be embraced only because her family supported America, rather than simply because she is a human being, significantly undermines the purported message of tolerance for all.
A beautifully rendered setting enfolds a disappointing plot. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-374-30909-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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