At birth, 13-year-old Margaret “Magpie” Gabbard is given two names, a legacy and a prophecy by “the moon herself—hidden within her long black cloak.” Magpie will one day rise above her grandfather’s fighting legacy with the rival Sizemores, put her “cussedness to good use” and save everyone in Squabble Town and on Gabbard Mountain, Ky. How this comes about is Magpie’s story, part tall tale, part coming-of-age narrative told in a quirky first-person, Appalachian-style voice. Magpie’s plight to unearth the moon from where the Goblins have buried her involves all sorts of magical characters, such as a decapitated floating Head, a fast-galloping boar and evil man-sucking night Goblins. Keehn employs symbolism and humor to create excitement, hilarity and a touching ending with the power of love providing a young girl the means to break the curse of prejudice and orchestrate reconciliation between feuding families. This tall-tale novel, mixed with a dash of the reality of a girl “passing through the gate of womanhood,” will provoke some laughs and some pondering. Imaginative storytelling with a regional drawl. (Fiction. 10-13)
Pub Date: March 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-399-24340-2
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hope prevails in this story, filled with a resounding authenticity.
Terrifying statistics run through Zoey’s mind day and night, controlling her decisions.
After her father dies in a bus accident, anxiety-ridden 12-year-old Zoey Turner, who presents white, spends her summer escaping into the familiar world of her favorite fantasy series, the Magic of Ever After by Raven M. Wells. When a book signing ends in a panic attack, Zoey receives a pencil allegedly belonging to Wells herself. Zoey writes a story with the pencil, which seems innocent enough until the next day, when the events of her story happen in real life. Always the type to practice extreme caution, the nervous seventh grader asks Derek Beal, the redheaded president of a fantasy club with his own anxieties and fears, for help in how best to use her new magic. She keeps the pencil a secret from everyone else in her life, even her Lebanese American best friend, Lena. Zoey fears losing Lena when secrets and fears begin to separate them. As Zoey sharpens the pencil with each new story, her chances of writing the perfect ending dwindle away. She’ll need to find her own magic before it’s too late. This emotional narrative skillfully informs readers about anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and will comfort anyone facing challenges similar to the main characters’, reminding them to look for the pockets of joy in every day and inspiring them to discover their own forgotten magic.
Hope prevails in this story, filled with a resounding authenticity. (Fantasy. 10-13)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781665952255
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
An uneven treatment of a critical and timely subject.
Pennsylvania middle schooler Bess Stein is the new sixth grade class president, and she has a lot of plans.
Bess is working with the school librarian, Mr. Jasper, and the class vice president, June Myer, a recent transplant from Texas, to choose titles for the new book vending machine, one of her campaign promises. Bess, who’s Jewish, hopes to include volumes about the Holocaust; her great-grandmother was a survivor. Everything starts off well, until June’s mother becomes aware of the titles on offer and objects to the inclusion of those she considers “inappropriate, indecent, and offensive” and ones that are “divisive”—in other words, books representing diverse perspectives and identities. Bess, who’s supported by her family and the Book Warriors, a group of local librarians and educators, challenges the conservative Mrs. Myer and those who sympathize with her cause. Many other topics vie for space and aren’t fully developed, including explorations of friendship drama, antisemitism, hints of romance between Bess and June’s brother, Bess’ younger brother’s anxiety, and the Steins’ family dog. Bess is strong-willed, capable, and idealistic, but she isn’t always understanding of others’ weaknesses (for example, June’s struggles with her mother’s attitudes). June, for her part, never fully comes alive as a character. Swartz handles important topics in a convincing manner, but the empathetic storytelling unfortunately contains repetitious elements. Main characters are cued white.
An uneven treatment of a critical and timely subject. (author’s note) (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9780593705605
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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