Another enjoyable outing with a protagonist sure to win readers over.
Jealousy takes root when Marya Khan’s third grade class creates a community garden.
Marya loves big words, math, and being in charge—the latter of which brings her into conflict with her classmate and neighbor Alexa R. (“the most annoying person on the planet”). Both girls want to be the garden leader, and they try to one-up each other as they jockey for the role. Marya may be the youngest in her family, but she’s determined to show her teacher she has what it takes as she launches Operation Be a Leader. When Marya and Alexa are both appointed garden leader, they’re forced to work together, but being in charge turns out to be a lot more work than Marya anticipated—and she bristles when Alexa seems to have better leadership skills than her. Faruqi is keenly aware of the little jealousies and big hurts that often seem larger than life to children, and she weaves these and other themes, such as friendship and family drama, into her charming, lighthearted narrative. References to the Khan family’s Pakistani heritage are effectively incorporated; the family is Muslim, and Marya’s mother wears hijab. Alexa presents White. There’s plenty of humor here, and, as in the first series installment, every chapter starts with an excerpt from Marya’s Word of the Day diary sure to delight word lovers. Final illustrations not seen.
Another enjoyable outing with a protagonist sure to win readers over. (Chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781419761188
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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