Perhaps not for everyone but an honest exploration of a personal subject.
Fourteen-year-old Recca details her experience of her parents’ divorce through a graphic medium.
Growing up middle class in Las Vegas, brown-haired Sophia had what looked like the perfect family. However, when she was 8, after loud and violent fights, her parents made an announcement of their imminent divorce. Sophia was heartbroken and candidly portrays her feelings both through her own words and illustrations by Kim and Leach (Click, 2018, etc.). Earlier praise from a teacher for her caring nature guides Sophia to patch her parents’ fractured relationship, and the outcome is exceptional: Her mother and father seemingly put their issues behind them and focus on successful co-parenting. Although the portrayal is authentically voiced, Sophia’s circumstance is unusual; not all young readers will be able to bridge the dissolution of their parents’ relationship so easily, potentially giving them false hope. The full-color art has moments of idiosyncrasy, with Sophia drawn to look disturbingly mature in close-up shots. Other panels show Sophia literally bisected by a line; even younger readers will be able to glean meaning from this. There is a quiet but continuous undercurrent of Christian faith throughout. Like Sophia’s family, nearly all persons depicted are white; the few scenes with any persons of color exist only in what appears to be a social services office.
Perhaps not for everyone but an honest exploration of a personal subject. (Graphic memoir. 7-12)Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-947378-00-1
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Zuiker Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2018
Though a bit loose around the edges, a charmer nevertheless.
Tales of a fourth grade ne’er-do-well.
It seems that young Jordan is stuck in a never-ending string of bad luck. Sure, no one’s perfect (except maybe goody-two-shoes William Feranek), but Jordan can’t seem to keep his attention focused on the task at hand. Try as he may, things always go a bit sideways, much to his educators’ chagrin. But Jordan promises himself that fourth grade will be different. As the year unfolds, it does prove to be different, but in a way Jordan couldn’t possibly have predicted. This humorous memoir perfectly captures the square-peg-in-a-round-hole feeling many kids feel and effectively heightens that feeling with comic situations and a splendid villain. Jordan’s teacher, Mrs. Fisher, makes an excellent foil, and the book’s 1970s setting allows for her cruelty to go beyond anything most contemporary readers could expect. Unfortunately, the story begins to run out of steam once Mrs. Fisher exits. Recollections spiral, losing their focus and leading to a more “then this happened” and less cause-and-effect structure. The anecdotes are all amusing and Jordan is an endearing protagonist, but the book comes dangerously close to wearing out its welcome with sheer repetitiveness. Thankfully, it ends on a high note, one pleasant and hopeful enough that readers will overlook some of the shabbier qualities. Jordan is White and Jewish while there is some diversity among his classmates; Mrs. Fisher is White.
Though a bit loose around the edges, a charmer nevertheless. (Memoir. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-64723-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This introduction to puberty may be particularly helpful for girls looking ahead to that stage.
A growing-up guide for preteen girls.
This puberty-navigation guide covers girls’ bodily changes, body care, health, relationships with family and friends, staying safe, and handling stress. In many cases the author, a registered nurse, has covered the same material as she did in various editions of this title as well as The Boy’s Body Book. This girls’ book skips the topics of sleep and performance-enhancement drugs in favor of a section on eating disorders. As in the boys’ book, controversial subjects are addressed generally and conservatively if at all. She includes a rough diagram of female reproductive organs and tells her young readers about menstruation and visiting a gynecologist but not how babies are made. She talks about having boys as friends, saying “Don’t put pressure on yourself to call any of your close friendships ‘dating.’ ” The strength of this title is its emphasis on good grooming, healthy living habits, and positive relationships. Added for this fourth edition is new material on interacting with adults, personal empowerment, body language, reputations, and “learning disabilities,” helpful information for the growing segment of the preteen population identified with cognitive and social learning differences. Tallardy’s cartoon illustrations show girls and adults of varying ethnicities and provide a cheerful accompaniment.
This introduction to puberty may be particularly helpful for girls looking ahead to that stage. (resources, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-60433-714-3
Page Count: 148
Publisher: Cider Mill Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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