A basic introduction to an important topic.
Offers guidelines on budgeting, bank accounts, and other topics that are important part of financial literacy.
This compact volume, part of a series that includes Budgeting, Jobs and Taxes, and Loans and Credit, consists of four chapters: “Why Money Matters,” “The Basics of Saving,” “Where and Why To Save,” and “How To Save in the Future.” The author opens by explaining why it’s important to possess solid financial skills and describing the challenges teens face: Many have received no formal instruction in this area and admit to relying on social media as a source of information. Eason’s advice runs along standard-issue lines, like automatically diverting 10-20% of all income into savings and making some provision for “life’s financial curve balls.” She recommends financial apps to help with things like goal setting. The book explains compound interest and inflation, making a case for saving early and often. Practical advice—“always read the small print before choosing an account”—is peppered throughout and tempered with realism—“as a teen, it is unlikely that you’ll be able to save a significant amount of the money that you’ll need for college.” A chart explaining compound interest uses an interest rate of 50%, which may mislead readers about what to expect in real life. The book closes with a glimpse of future goals, such as buying a home and putting money into a pension. Stock illustrations show racially diverse young people.
A basic introduction to an important topic. (picture credits, glossary, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: yesterday
ISBN: 9781917509732
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Cheriton Children's Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: yesterday
BOOK REVIEW
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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