An enjoyable tale of a flawed yet deeply sympathetic protagonist.
For 8-year-old Rachel Friedman, life feels like one long list of rules.
Finish your homework. Don’t throw food at the table. Don’t fall asleep in synagogue. Rachel, who has ADHD, doesn’t understand the reasons for these directives, and she doesn’t always follow them. After nearly a full week of good behavior, she breaks one of her father’s most important rules—never cross the street alone—to rescue her escaped cat. As punishment, Rachel’s father refuses to take her to see her favorite gymnast. So Rachel decides to make her next transgressions purposeful and public: wearing pajamas to synagogue and doing handstands in the sanctuary. Readers will sympathize with Rachel’s frustration and applaud when the surprised rabbi validates her frustrations, though Rabbi Ellen’s explanation of Jewish tradition may not scintillate. Energetic Rachel is a relatable protagonist, and her exasperated, protective father feels well realized, but secondary characters, such as her brother, Aaron, and her best friend, Maya, are only briefly sketched. The depiction of the family’s Judaism is nuanced, however; Kapit captures the reality of many contemporary practicing Jews who balance their faith with the rest of their full lives. Rachel and her family appear light-skinned in Kote’s grayscale illustrations, while Maya is darker-skinned.
An enjoyable tale of a flawed yet deeply sympathetic protagonist. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: June 18, 2024
ISBN: 9781250880925
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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