Spetta takes what could have been merely a quaint look back at the ’60s and makes it into an unforgettable tale of enduring...
In his second novel, Spetta (High Tide Low Moon Running, 2002) offers a charming, resonant coming-of-age adventure.
The author smartly builds his tale around the camaraderie of three close friends in 1960s Long Island. At the heart of the archetypal group is Chris, seemingly the most normal of the threesome, which also includes troubled loner Teddy and introverted, intelligent Charlie. As told by Chris in a series of flashbacks from the modern day, these three misfits became friends for two reasons: “The primary bond was our status as outsiders in the caste system of teenagers, but more importantly it was our ability to make each other laugh. We had found each other out of necessity, and this made our fraternity strong.” Spetta paints a bucolic picture of rural Long Island in simpler times, when children explored and camped out in the woods near their houses, only returning home when parents shouted or rang a bell. It’s a land that’s later wiped away by progress, like a low tide flowing back to the ocean: “We were the last Algonquians to walk under the canopy of leaves that led to the sea.” This grand adventure starts innocently, with the three children at play, but grows to encompass a found boat, a hidden treasure, a murder mystery, an overland quest and even the American space program. The action takes place over a few fall days in a believable, tranquil setting. Secondary characters, including a crotchety old hermit and a lustful, greedy minister, help elevate the diverting narrative. Occasional spelling and punctuation errors can sometimes be distracting, but overall, the novel provides a colorful journey back to a nearly forgotten time. The author’s portraits of his baby boomer characters are spot-on as they seek to discover their true north.
Spetta takes what could have been merely a quaint look back at the ’60s and makes it into an unforgettable tale of enduring friendship.Pub Date: March 13, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-615-94810-2
Page Count: 210
Publisher: Star Flight Security Press
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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