Thoroughly researched and sweetly written.
This middle-grade historical novel imagines the origin story of an early female architect.
Eleven-year-old Julia Morgan loves buildings, bridges, and any type of structure. She marvels at how they’re designed and constructed and dreams of making her very own someday. But it’s 1883, and while her architect cousin is encouraging as they traverse the new Brooklyn Bridge together on a family vacation, Julia already knows her dreams have significant obstacles. After she returns to her hometown of Oakland, California, excels academically, and resists her mother’s attempts to make her a debutante, she encounters many challenges, including sexist classmates in her high school science track and familial pressures to court and eventually marry. Julia is eventually accepted at the nearby University of California at Berkeley. But though she is talented and determined to succeed, the times aren’t changing quickly enough. Still, Julia soldiers on, working harder than any of the men, and when a chance to study architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, which has previously only admitted men, arises, the young woman debates whether to settle into post-college life or take the ultimate chance for her future. Author and educator Austin claims that not much is known about the real Julia Morgan’s childhood and adolescence, though the adult Morgan is a well-known historical figure who established her own architecture firm and became the first woman to be admitted to and graduate from the École des Beaux-Arts. Though Morgan was a private person, according to the author, Austin uses extensive research, including the expertise of a Julia Morgan scholar, to craft an inspiring origin story ideal for young readers. Real-life events—like the 1893 Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, which featured the first Ferris wheel as well as architecture by Sophia Hayden)—play out through Julia’s eyes, and real-life figures (Gertrude Stein, William Randolph Hearst, Pierre LeBrun) make pivotal appearances.
Thoroughly researched and sweetly written.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68463-159-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: SparkPress
Review Posted Online: Aug. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel.
Sandy and his family, Japanese Canadians, experience hatred and incarceration during World War II.
Sandy Saito loves baseball, and the Vancouver Asahi ballplayers are his heroes. But when they lose in the 1941 semifinals, Sandy’s dad calls it a bad omen. Sure enough, in December 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor in the U.S. The Canadian government begins to ban Japanese people from certain areas, moving them to “dormitories” and setting a curfew. Sandy wants to spend time with his father, but as a doctor, his dad is busy, often sneaking out past curfew to work. One night Papa is taken to “where he [is] needed most,” and the family is forced into an internment camp. Life at the camp isn’t easy, and even with some of the Asahi players playing ball there, it just isn’t the same. Trying to understand and find joy again, Sandy struggles with his new reality and relationship with his father. Based on the true experiences of Japanese Canadians and the Vancouver Asahi team, this graphic novel is a glimpse of how their lives were affected by WWII. The end is a bit abrupt, but it’s still an inspiring and sweet look at how baseball helped them through hardship. The illustrations are all in a sepia tone, giving it an antique look and conveying the emotions and struggles. None of the illustrations of their experiences are overly graphic, making it a good introduction to this upsetting topic for middle-grade readers.
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel. (afterword, further resources) (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0334-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
