A fast-paced, adventurous journey in search of the truth.
Following his father’s arrest, 12-year-old Andy Carter finds himself stuck in small-town Nyle Park, Ohio.
Andy’s mom left a while ago, so he’s staying with Aunt Nonie while Dad awaits his hearing. After a firecracker gets out of control, accidentally burning down an old barn, Andy faces punishment: helping the barn’s owner, Mr. Gilbert, restore a run-down property he owns in lieu of being sent to juvenile court. While working with grumpy Mr. Gilbert, Andy finds himself becoming intrigued by the story of the house’s previous owner, the mysterious masked performer known as the Red Nave, who captivated people’s imaginations with his amazing magic shows before vanishing. His sudden disappearance, which Mr. Gilbert is obsessed with, occurred after Red Nave supposedly murdered someone. Andy strikes a deal with Mr. Gilbert: If he can discover the magician’s secret identity and determine whether he was responsible for the death, his punishment will be over. But Andy quickly learns that solving a decades-old mystery won’t be easy. His father’s arrest, which Andy feels was unjust, has weakened his trust in the justice system, and, unlike in the city where he lived with Dad, he’s aware that people treat him differently as one of the few Black people in Nyle Park. Ransaw’s fast-paced debut offers an introspective look at dealing with racism and ambiguous grief through the eyes of a preteen. Through an intriguing mystery, the story explores biases and preconceptions.
A fast-paced, adventurous journey in search of the truth. (author’s note) (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9781419770135
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Quirky and imaginative—postmodern storytelling at its best.
Friendly curiosity and a gift for naming earn a polar bear an assortment of (mostly animal) friends, adventures, mishaps, and discoveries.
Arriving at a northern ocean, Duane spies a shipwreck. Swimming out to investigate, he meets its lone occupant, C.C., a learned snowy owl whose noble goal is acquiring knowledge to apply “toward the benefit of all.” Informing Duane that he’s a polar bear, she points out a nearby cave that might suit him—it even has a mattress. Adding furnishings from the wreck—the grandfather clock’s handless, but who needs to tell time when it’s always now?—he meets a self-involved musk ox, entranced by his own reflection, who’s delighted when Duane names him “Handsome.” As he comes to understand, then appreciate their considerable diversity, Duane brings out the best in his new friends. C.C., who has difficulty reading emotions and dislikes being touched, evokes the autism spectrum. Magic, a bouncy, impulsive arctic fox, manifests ADHD. Major Puff, whose proud puffin ancestry involves courageous retreats from danger, finds a perfect companion in Twitch, a risk-aware, common-sensical hare. As illustrated, Sun Girl, a human child, appears vaguely Native, and Squint, a painter, white, but they’re sui generis: The Canadian author avoids referencing human culture. The art conveys warmth in an icy setting; animal characters suggest beloved stuffed toys, gently reinforcing the message that friendship founded on tolerance breeds comfort and safety.
Quirky and imaginative—postmodern storytelling at its best. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3341-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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