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
A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph.
Generations of human and animal families grow and change, seen from the point of view of the red oak Wishing Tree that shelters them all.
Most trees are introverts at heart. So says Red, who is over 200 years old and should know. Not to mention that they have complicated relationships with humans. But this tree also has perspective on its animal friends and people who live within its purview—not just witnessing, but ultimately telling the tales of young people coming to this country alone or with family. An Irish woman named Maeve is the first, and a young 10-year-old Muslim girl named Samar is the most recent. Red becomes the repository for generations of wishes; this includes both observing Samar’s longing wish and sporting the hurtful word that another young person carves into their bark as a protest to Samar’s family’s presence. (Red is monoecious, they explain, with both male and female flowers.) Newbery medalist Applegate succeeds at interweaving an immigrant story with an animated natural world and having it all make sense. As Red observes, animals compete for resources just as humans do, and nature is not always pretty or fair or kind. This swiftly moving yet contemplative read is great for early middle grade, reluctant or tentative readers, or precocious younger students.
A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-04322-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
