On the surface, ninth-grader Tony Sharp leads the life of an average teen: he listens to rock, has a part-time job, and is having his first romance. But Tony's mother has multiple sclerosis; her illness leaves him wavering between a sense of helplessness over her condition and resentment that he doesn't have a mother who can care for him. Tony escapes from the pain by caring for an injured herring gull that he finds in a cave; but as the bird's wing heals, Mrs. Sharp's health fails. In a symbolic gesture, Tony releases the healthy gull the morning following his mother's death. Unfortunately, weak characterization, overly sentimental writing, and an almost nonexistent plot badly mar a potentially good story. The mother-son relationship is poorly developed and doesn't give a real sense of their intimacy between the two; as a result, Tony's frustrated outbursts sound hollow. (Fiction. 11+)
Pub Date: Oct. 16, 1991
ISBN: 0-688-10597-1
Page Count: 128
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
Extending her title's potent image, Hearne groups incisive glimpses of people, places, rites of passage, and assorted epiphanies under poetically descriptive headings: ``Outside,'' ``City Sights,'' ``Insights,'' ``Second Sight,'' ``Close-ups,'' ``Dark and Light,'' ``Long View.'' The outside views, like the title poem, are evocative and allusive—even here, there's more than meets the eye. But Hearne's forte is the inward-looking gaze—Penelope ruminating on Odysseus' homecoming—''Honor is the common core, like the dog/that waits beside the door...Can honor live with love, can love/survive the tests of self-respect?'' With deft touches of wordplay and wit, often rueful or quizzical but always thoughtful, an appealingly personal collection. Beautifully composed b&w photos of imaginatively appropriate subjects introduce each section. (Poetry. 12+)
Pub Date: April 30, 1991
ISBN: 0-689-50530-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1991
Davis presents gambling as a multibillion-dollar drain on society; but only late in the book does she show how it affects individuals: compulsive gamblers lose control of their lives. Quoting a wide variety of sources, the author clearly shows how the various games work (readers will not have to visit casinos or racetracks to see for themselves) and defines some of the more colorful terms. Controversies over the legal status of gambling, the involvement of organized crime, and state-sponsored lotteries get fair treatment; Gamblers Anonymous's 12-step program is outlined (and its low success rate mentioned). A good resource. Extensive source notes; very brief bibliography. Index not seen. (Nonfiction. 12+)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-531-13021-5
Page Count: 112
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1992
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