The fact that sixth-grader Joseph's mother can't read is not just an inconvenience to her—it makes it almost impossible for her to get a job, since she can't fill out forms or negotiate public transportation. Meanwhile, Dad works two night jobs to make ends meet, and Mom depends on Joseph for everything from reading letters from school to, finally, teaching her to read- -which he tries dutifully to do, even though he doesn't know the best way to begin and the task seems to monopolize all his time. Discovering a literacy program at the library and persuading Mom to go helps the whole family: While Mom acquires self-respect, new friends, and the skills she needs, Joseph is freed from adult responsibilities and reclaims time for his own friends and school work. Simply told, without great literary skill but with well- organized details that are touching in their authenticity. A fine, realistic early chapter book that would also be appropriate for readers in an adult literacy class. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 7-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 30, 1991
ISBN: 0-02-775641-6
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
Stellar.
In Panteleakos’ debut, a nonverbal, autistic astronomy enthusiast counts down to the space shuttle Challenger’s launch—and her runaway sister’s return—in January 1986.
Twelve-year-old Nova Vezina hates deviating from routine, which makes moving from 11 foster homes in seven years challenging. But each new school’s verdict is the same: “Cannot read. Cannot speak. Severely mentally retarded.” A “thinker, not a talker,” Nova can’t explain that her big sister, Bridget, taught her the alphabet and read her novels, such as Peter Pan. Bridget disappeared after they ran from their last home, but she’d promised they’d watch the Challenger’s launch together. As Nova counts down the remaining 10 days, third-person chapters alternate with Nova’s printed letters to Bridget (“scribbles” to everyone else), which grow uneasy as Bridget doesn’t appear. Interspersed flashbacks reveal the sisters’ turbulent past and sensitively illustrate the uncertainty of foster care. The author poetically immerses readers in Nova’s mind as Nova endures “the constant scratching of sounds that [invade] her brain,” befriends fellow special education classmates, and struggles to be understood by both well-meaning and patronizing adults. Bursting with worry, joy, empathy, humor, and even mischief, Nova is endearingly nuanced. The countdown’s multiple conclusions dovetail in an ending Nova might call “Crayola Pine Green”: a mixture of conflicting emotions that will linger long after the last page. An author’s note provides background on autism and the Challenger disaster. Nova and Bridget are ethnically ambiguous; Nova’s foster mother is light-skinned, her foster father dark-skinned, and her foster sister biracial.
Stellar. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-64657-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
A love letter to Bollywood that offers heartfelt encouragement to the lonely.
Sixth grader Sonali learns a dramatic lesson about emotional honesty.
The Southern California tween has long shouldered the burden of her parents’ nonstop arguing—distracting her little brother when it makes him cry; stuffing her own feelings; and obeying her father’s code of secrecy and stoicism. Ironically, Indian American Sonali and her best friend, Pakistani American Zara, adore Bollywood movies and all their emoting. Sonali’s Gujarati family even has a weekly Hindi movie night, reveling in the high emotions on the screen while keeping their own trapped firmly behind closed doors. But her parents’ trial separation, combined with Zara’s growing friendship with a new girl at school, pushes Sonali beyond her limit. She is stricken with “filmi magic,” waking up in an alternate, Bollywood-enhanced world in which personal soundtracks express your true mood and intense feelings lead to song-and-dance numbers. Hair, clothing, and decor even get the Technicolor Bollywood treatment. Losing control leads Sonali to explore possible solutions to her “Bollywooditis”—and the inevitable realization that she must find the courage to open up to those who love her, which in turn fosters family and friendship growth. Sonali’s distress is painfully real, showing the isolating ripple effects of parental conflict on relationships and school performance. As much of the novel centers Sonali’s inner turmoil as she spins her emotional wheels, at times repetitively, it will appeal most to readers who appreciate character-driven stories.
A love letter to Bollywood that offers heartfelt encouragement to the lonely. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6673-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
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