Inspiring examples for younger would-be world-changers.
Stevenson expands her 2019 roster of Kid Activists with profiles of 20 more advocates for political, social, and environmental causes.
Except for Benazir Bhutto, John Lewis, and Audre Lorde, all of the role models here are alive, and some, like environmental activist Greta Thunberg (born in 2003), #1000BlackGirlBooks founder Marley Dias (born in 2005) and Little Miss Flint Mari Copeny (born in 2007), are still relatively young. With some notable, if humanizing, exceptions—Al Gore’s memories of tossing water balloons off a hotel rooftop, for instance, or Shonda Rhimes’ petrifying first driving lesson—the 16 longer entries and four single-page spotlights are weighted toward childhood experiences that informed or directly led to later concerns and achievements, from Kamala Harris shouting “Fweedom!” from her stroller at a civil rights demonstration to Ai Weiwei watching his father’s library burn on the orders of the Red Guard. All but four subjects are people of color, most are North American, and several, including trans actor Elliot Page, are queer. Steinfeld’s neatly drawn illustrations include many scenes of smiling figures in forthright stances as well as some moments of difficulty and distress; Stevenson mentions instances of violence and bullying often enough to counter any false impressions that activism doesn’t have its risks.
Inspiring examples for younger would-be world-changers. (further reading, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68369-301-7
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing.
In this graphic memoir by sports journalist Shah, a ninth grader pursues his passion in the face of familial expectations pushing him toward a medical career, while also navigating the perils of high school social life.
It’s 1995, and Indian American Amar is desperate to meet the Chicago Bulls—Michael Jordan, in particular—when they stop by his Orlando, Florida, school. A lucky break leads him to his first sports interview, with Phil Jackson, and his tenacity takes him further, leading to multiple conversations with Shaquille O’Neal. But Amar’s luck in journalism doesn’t spill over to his relationship with his crush, blond Kasey Page (“like a mixture of Cameron Diaz, Tinkerbell, and heaven”), or his efforts to remain close with best friends Rohit and Cherian, who start spending more time with other classmates. The work relies on captions as much as plot developments to propel the story. It also follows a broad cast of characters—close and former friends, antagonists, supportive adults, and famous athletes—who appear in multiple storylines. The story accurately depicts the complexities of life as a young teen, though overlapping life challenges pull it in multiple directions, leaving some threads underexplored and hastily wrapped up. Doucet illustrates the characters using loose, disjointed outlines that give the artwork a sense of movement, and the colorful backgrounds use patterns and action lines to indicate a wide array of emotions.
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing. (author’s note, photographs) (Graphic memoir. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781546110514
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A spirited biography untangles the accretion of myth and story around Pocahontas and makes clear what little is actually known and what fragments of the historical record are available. The text is rich in illustration and in sidebars (on longhouses, colonial diet, weaponry and so on) that illuminate the central narrative. Whether Pocahontas saved John Smith’s life directly or as part of an elaborate ritual might not matter, argues Jones. Pocahontas and her people were certainly responsible for keeping the English settlement of Jamestown from starvation. Relations between English settlers and Native people were uneasy at best, and the author traces these carefully, relating how Pocahontas was later kidnapped by the British and held for ransom. When none was forthcoming, she was converted both to English ways and the Christian religion, marrying the widower John Rolfe and traveling to England, where Pocahontas saw John Smith once again and died at about the age of 21. An excellent stab at myth busting and capturing the nuances of both the figure and her times. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, index) (Biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4027-6844-6
Page Count: 124
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
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