A deep, complex look at friendship, loneliness, and yearning to belong.
In Barbados, a boy who’s a social outsider longs to join the group of popular boys at school, even though they’re bullies.
Though he’s more interested in science, especially geology and archaeology, Jermaine feels sure that joining the relay team would impress the Turbo Jets and help keep him safe from being teased for obviously being poorer than the other kids. After a misunderstanding causes a rift between Jermaine and his new friend, Brody, Jermaine’s resolve to join the Turbo Jets is cemented. But during a prank at the cemetery, the boys leave Jermaine trapped in the Chase Vault, which is rumored to be haunted. Jermaine comes face to face with the ghost of Dorcas Chase, who died in 1812. He befriends Dorcas, believing that she’s bringing him good luck, but he quickly discovers that it comes at a high price. But when it turns out that Brody can see Dorcas too, it offers the boys an opportunity to reconcile while trying to help her find eternal rest. The chapters alternate between Jermaine’s and Brody’s third-person points of view, moving the story along quickly. Brody’s shorter chapters unfold in concise, resonant verse, while Jermaine’s are written in evocative prose. Bourne explores bullying, grief, and loneliness with nuance and sensitivity. She also touches upon the complicated, heavy history and impact of slavery. Jermaine is Black, and biracial Brody has a Black father and a white mother.
A deep, complex look at friendship, loneliness, and yearning to belong. (author’s note) (Paranormal. 8-12)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781546116905
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
Quirky and imaginative—postmodern storytelling at its best.
Friendly curiosity and a gift for naming earn a polar bear an assortment of (mostly animal) friends, adventures, mishaps, and discoveries.
Arriving at a northern ocean, Duane spies a shipwreck. Swimming out to investigate, he meets its lone occupant, C.C., a learned snowy owl whose noble goal is acquiring knowledge to apply “toward the benefit of all.” Informing Duane that he’s a polar bear, she points out a nearby cave that might suit him—it even has a mattress. Adding furnishings from the wreck—the grandfather clock’s handless, but who needs to tell time when it’s always now?—he meets a self-involved musk ox, entranced by his own reflection, who’s delighted when Duane names him “Handsome.” As he comes to understand, then appreciate their considerable diversity, Duane brings out the best in his new friends. C.C., who has difficulty reading emotions and dislikes being touched, evokes the autism spectrum. Magic, a bouncy, impulsive arctic fox, manifests ADHD. Major Puff, whose proud puffin ancestry involves courageous retreats from danger, finds a perfect companion in Twitch, a risk-aware, common-sensical hare. As illustrated, Sun Girl, a human child, appears vaguely Native, and Squint, a painter, white, but they’re sui generis: The Canadian author avoids referencing human culture. The art conveys warmth in an icy setting; animal characters suggest beloved stuffed toys, gently reinforcing the message that friendship founded on tolerance breeds comfort and safety.
Quirky and imaginative—postmodern storytelling at its best. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3341-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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