A read that honors the devastation of loss and self-discovery from a distinctively adolescent perspective.
In Steadman’s (The Waking Dream, 2016, etc.) third YA novel, a high school nobody encounters the harsh reality of what it means to become somebody.
Annie Julia Grey (who doesn’t like to be called “Annie,” preferring “Ann”) is a high school student who spends a lot of time in detention with her troublemaking best friend, Lisa. A year ago, Ann’s father died in an accident, her mother became an alcoholic, and her brother, William, left for college with no intention of ever coming back home. Ann often finds herself alone, saddled with responsibilities her mother used to shoulder: cooking, cleaning, and caring for her younger brother, Tommy. At school, she pines for Jacob Waters, who also happens to be “the hottest senior in school.” Meanwhile, her eccentric (and handsome) classmate Danny Feller, who readers later learn is the book’s narrator, has feelings for her. After a few passed notes, Ann and Danny discover their mutual interest in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden—a book that William once owned. Ann desperately combs through the book “in hopes of discovering why he never came home.” However, as soon as Ann starts to fall for Danny, Jacob breaks up with his own girlfriend and—much to Ann’s surprise—begins aggressively pursuing her. Almost overnight, she goes from feeling invisible to becoming a member of the “Totally Fabulous and Popular clique,” otherwise known as the “T.F.P.” The book is an immersive experience, and it reads very much like a novel-length note from a friend in one’s class—complete with hand-drawn comic strips interspersed throughout. Not unlike a note written by a teenager, the prose is prone to hyperbole, and there are places in which the teenage voice feels exaggerated: “At this particular moment, Ann Julia Grey was in denial about Danny Feller’s obvious magnificence. (Tragic sigh.)” Overall, however, Steadman captures the mania of teenage friendships and first loves as aptly as she captures the confusion of adolescent grief.
A read that honors the devastation of loss and self-discovery from a distinctively adolescent perspective.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9970565-6-3
Page Count: 294
Publisher: Mmhmm Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tightly written, fast-paced prose supernova.
Budding starship captain Ryan Thompson helps battle an alien invasion in Miller’s (The Kronos Interference, 2012) inventive sci-fi tale.
In 2012, fighter jets scrambled to intercept a UFO above Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base. The rectangular object flew erratically, displaying no hostile behavior, and the jets followed as it crashed. Now, 150 years later, 2162 sees the United Earth Defense Fleet patrolling space, with outposts on Mars and Pluto. Cadet Ryan Thompson is a brash youth whose willingness to break the erules is matched only by his desire to win the Golden Cadet Award. Unfortunately, his brilliant ex-girlfriend Amanda just might win instead. They can’t stand each other since their romance ended the day Ryan’s mother died—a tragedy for which he blames himself. They must attempt to reconcile, however, when Earth’s fleet leaps to action against alien ships approaching from beyond Pluto. The menacing Altarrans, led by Supreme Commander Granthaxe, want something impossible—their wrecked envoys that crashed to Earth 150 years ago, perhaps with survivors. While the fleet dwindles in battle, Ryan, Amanda and their fellow cadets try to save lives with creative defense tactics. Quick thinking reveals that the strange amulet necklace Amanda wears—a family heirloom from her great-great-grandfather—may be more than it appears. With clever ideas and agile prose, Miller builds a world reminiscent of Star Trek: Ryan is a rebellious young Capt. Kirk who knows that “sometimes going by the book [isn’t] the best course to take.” Amid the pop-culture references to Star Wars and comic books, Miller’s believable, motivated characters shine, as Ryan’s brashness conflicts with Amanda’s search for peaceful solutions. In tight spots, they innovate: For instance, they create a solar-flare weapon by “overloading [a ship’s] light-speed generator and shutting it down milliseconds before detonation.” There’s also a secret connection between the Altarrans and Earth that honors the concept of a peaceful, inclusive universe. Nevertheless, right before someone survives a dose of radiation (à la Spider-Man), Ryan thinks they’re “going to need a damn super hero or something.”
A tightly written, fast-paced prose supernova.Pub Date: June 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-0615805580
Page Count: 338
Publisher: Pop Culture Zoo Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A clever series starter sure to leave readers wanting more Peas and Hambone adventures.
A boy and his dog face off against a horde of zombie gorillas in this action-packed adventure by debut author Nichols.
Peter, whose nickname is “Peas,” is an ordinary 10-year-old kid with an extraordinary dog named Hambone. The dog walks and talks like a human but only when he’s alone with Peas, and he gives Hobbes (of Bill Watterson’s famous Calvin and Hobbes comic strip) a run for his money. Snarky troublemaker Hambone is determined to get even with a gorilla who threw “dirt” at him, so he and Peter break into the zoo early one morning. As they try to determine which gorilla is Hambone’s nemesis, they stumble upon an evil plot: One of the gorillas (whom Peas nicknames “Evil Doctor Crazy Gorilla”) gives the other gorillas a smoky green potion that turns them into zombies. Peas and Hambone are the only ones who stand between humanity and the zombie gorilla incursion, aside from crazy Mr. Oswalt, who’s so obsessed with World War I that he pilots a Sopwith Camel biplane around the neighborhood, and the Mama’s Boys biker gang, which fights with foam swords and squirt guns. Peas, who’s seen a lot of scary movies, knows that where there’s a potion, there must be an antidote. Hambone, who suffered a “childhood trauma involving the movie King Kong,” has a serious hatred of gorillas and zombies, and he comes up with the plan that eventually leads them to the mad scientist’s lair. Peas and Hambone’s first outing, full of chase scenes, absurd combat, cross-dressing and gross-out humor, is a madcap adventure sure to appeal to fans of Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants books and Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The vocabulary and pacing are well-suited to reluctant readers, and Nichols’ silly, coined phrases (such as “whup-butt” and “Oh-my-shnippies!”) are catchy enough that kids might adopt them.
A clever series starter sure to leave readers wanting more Peas and Hambone adventures.Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-615-87100-4
Page Count: 120
Publisher: SecretSquirrel Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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