A resourceful hero under threat, memorable villains, some gritty violence, and fast-moving suspense.
A Depression-era orphan falsely accused of murder launches her own investigation in Barden’s YA historical novel, one in a series.
It is 1932 in Los Angeles. Tough, orphaned street kid Sparky had planned the perfect way to celebrate her 11th birthday: She intended to grab her secret candy stash, find her favorite park bench up on Bunker Hill, and chow down while watching the sun rise. (The only blight on the view is the sight of City Hall below, “full of the types who liked to round up the likes of me and throw us in ‘homes.’”) But somebody is already on Sparky’s bench, and that somebody, a little girl, isn’t moving. In fact, the little girl is dead. Within minutes, Sparky is on the run, accused of killing the child. Public hysteria builds: Sparky is wildly cast as a serial killer, a Prussian spy in disguise, a demon, and one responsible for millions of war dead. Her suspenseful efforts to dodge police and seekers of the ever-increasing reward money for her capture lead her to the mansion of Tootsie, a rich, reclusive former star of the silents, and her devoted butler, Gilbert. There are shades here of “Little Orphan Annie” and even a bit of Sunset Boulevard, but Tootsie isn’t locked in the past—she uses her theatrical talents to engage with Sparky’s world, joining the girl’s perilous investigation into the little girl’s death. There’s fun to be had, but little sugarcoating, in this wild, often chilling murder mystery. Barden’s vivid characters also include Spooky, a shellshocked World War I veteran; the glad-handing mayor at the mystery’s center; Mug, a big, intimidating cop; Whisper-Whisper, the mayor’s sadistic fixer; Doctor, who helps Tootsie with her “nerves”; and a disturbing character known simply as “the bad man,” who lures kids into his orbit in order to threaten them with violence and humiliation. If and when Sparky is caught and hanged, he says, “I will watch as you drop, twist, and choke. And I will laugh.”
A resourceful hero under threat, memorable villains, some gritty violence, and fast-moving suspense.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2018
ISBN: 9798989280803
Page Count: 302
Publisher: Poodle Productions
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements.
A wary teen wonders if she should run when people come looking for her.
Lucy Smith was raised by her white father, who said little about her mother. Following his death and her stepmother’s abandonment, Lucy entered the foster care system at 14. Her stepmother revealed that Lucy’s birth mom was Native American, but her social worker urged her to keep that quiet. Battered by her time in the foster care system, it’s no wonder that 18-year-old Lucy is cautious when she’s approached by a man who says he’s an attorney who helps Native American foster kids connect with their families and communities. He introduces her to a friend who reveals to Lucy that she knows her Ojibwe maternal relatives—but a wary Lucy refuses her offer to learn more. Someone is stalking her, after all, and the FBI is investigating the bomb that went off in the diner where she worked—an event she’s sure targeted her. This stand-alone from bestseller Boulley, who’s an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, includes characters her fans will recognize from previous works. The action scenes are mediated by ruminations on the failings of the foster care system and strong portrayals of Lucy’s relationship with her father and her complicated identity. Ardent book lover Lucy is a sympathetic narrator whose strong sense of justice is coupled with a deep acceptance of others.
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements. (content warning, author’s note) (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781250328533
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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