Expectations are upended and bonds are strengthened in this poignant family tale.
Alina navigates an initially rocky relationship with her cousin.
When Alina, who’s Indian Canadian, finds out that cousin Safi is visiting from Kenya, she couldn’t be happier. An only child who’s always longed for a sibling, Alina can’t wait for the two of them to dress alike (“like twinsies”), binge-watch TV, attend soccer camp, and have water balloon fights. But when Safi lands at the Calgary airport, she’s not at all who Alina was expecting. Safi wears eye-catching traditional Indian outfits, talks loudly when the girls visit the library, and throws up after the two ride the merry-go-round. Alina’s always attempted to blend in, and Safi’s blaring difference makes her nervous. Plus, she’s disappointed at Safi’s disinterest in her proposed activities. It’s not until the two girls team up to find Alina’s missing dog, Lux, that she comes to believe a Swahili saying embroidered on one of the gifts Safi brought from Kenya: “When trouble comes, it’s your family that supports you.” Alina and Safi’s relationship rings true, while Alina’s fears of standing out and her efforts to balance her Indian and Canadian heritage feel relatable, given her past experiences with bullying. The incidents leading up to the final resolution are a bit unevenly paced, though the story’s beginning and resolution flow beautifully. Mistry’s simple black-and-white cartoon artwork breaks up the text.
Expectations are upended and bonds are strengthened in this poignant family tale. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781772603903
Page Count: 110
Publisher: Second Story Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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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