Delicious poetry paired with haunting art speaks with authority to the darkness so many kids crave.
Witches, ghosts, arachnids, and more abound in this terrifying compendium of verse.
“No two monsters are alike,” observes Bramer cogently, pairing once more with Derby. This collection introduces readers to the titular Nightmare Jones, a onetime swashbuckler “with a bit of blood on his shoe.” Of the 28 poems, some rhyme, like the oddly triumphant “The Son of a Scorpion,” while most do not. Though many entries are straightforward, others are so rife with odd and evocative imagery that they’re sure to inspire discussion; all are beautifully crafted and appropriately spine-tingling. Particularly outstanding is “Four Seasons in a Witch’s Garden,” which plays off prettified odes to the seasons. Spring is full of “red crocuses / like blood fingers / along the burgeoning path,” while in autumn the witch will “rip things out / incubate their hearts / collect the tubers / smell her own hands.” Derby, who’s always flitted at the edges of creepiness, now fully embraces her own inner Stephen Gammell—known for his illustrations for Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark books—with her grotesquely drippy art; the result feels like a long-lost installment in that series. Though the work is written for children, it has a philosophical bent that could just as easily appeal to younger teens looking for a little goth inspiration.
Delicious poetry paired with haunting art speaks with authority to the darkness so many kids crave. (Poetry/horror. 9-14)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781773069463
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A beautiful, powerful reflection on a tragic history.
In spare verse, Lowry reflects on moments in her childhood, including the bombings of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima.
When she was a child, Lowry played at Waikiki Beach with her grandmother while her father filmed. In the old home movie, the USS Arizona appears through the mist on the horizon. Looking back at her childhood in Hawaii and then Japan, Lowry reflects on the bombings that began and ended a war and how they affected and connected everyone involved. In Part 1, she shares the lives and actions of sailors at Pearl Harbor. Part 2 is stories of civilians in Hiroshima affected by the bombing. Part 3 presents her own experience as an American in Japan shortly after the war ended. The poems bring the haunting human scale of war to the forefront, like the Christmas cards a sailor sent days before he died or the 4-year-old who was buried with his red tricycle after Hiroshima. All the personal stories—of sailors, civilians, and Lowry herself—are grounding. There is heartbreak and hope, reminding readers to reflect on the past to create a more peaceful future. Lowry uses a variety of poetry styles, identifying some, such as triolet and haiku. Pak’s graphite illustrations are like still shots of history, adding to the emotion and somber feeling. He includes some sailors of color among the mostly white U.S. forces; Lowry is white.
A beautiful, powerful reflection on a tragic history. (author’s note, bibliography) (Memoir/poetry. 10-14)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-358-12940-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
PROFILES
Brilliantly executed; a tender yet unflinching look at students who often, tragically, slip between the cracks.
Sometimes people have more in common than we think.
Three middle schoolers from an economically depressed community share the narration in this exciting mix of prose, poetry, and comics. Visual cues introduce readers to sections narrated by Manny Fueyo via his composition notebook, which is filled with lyrics about his life; Calvin Johnson, who has a sketchbook full of drawings and comic strips; and Liam Miller, who writes his journal entries in a graph-ruled notebook. The three initially appear very different. Mexican American Manny is disengaged at school and would rather be at the skate park. Calvin, who appears Black, is an aspiring artist whose schoolwork suffers as he’s forced to care for his younger brothers due to his father’s grueling work schedule. And anxious, white-presenting Liam, an academically focused loner whose father is a janitor, is silently suffering cruel bullying. Through happenstance, the three cross paths when they land in detention, where they realize how much they share. Ogle masterfully juggles the three storylines, much to the benefit of readers looking for a story that exudes authenticity. Striving readers will meet three new friends; the story’s unique format allows for an easier read without sacrificing plot, character development, or gravitas, an equally welcome combination for advanced readers seeking depth and nuance.
Brilliantly executed; a tender yet unflinching look at students who often, tragically, slip between the cracks. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781324124894
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
PERSPECTIVES
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