Second in the Bromeliad trilogy about the desperate quest of Nomes to outwit the enormous, ponderous humans and escape Earth. As the result of an interrupted space journey, Nomes have been stranded here for 15,000 years; still, for humans they are only legends, or models for garden statues. To Masklin, Grimma, Dorcas, and the other Nomes who have finally awakened their guidance computer, humans are only necessary evils who provide food, shelter, and electricity. In Duckers (1989), the Nomes contrived to drive a track away from The Store Arnold Bros (est. 1905) just before it was demolished, escaping to an abandoned quarry: here, they are entrenched and busy building in the quarry. Meanwhile, Masklin goes off with the computer, trying to find his way to Florida to contact their spaceship, which is still in orbit. Disaster strikes: humans reopen the quarry. The Nomes escape by tying up a watchman, then starting an old backhoe. Humans surround them, but just as all seems lost a spaceship suddenly hovers overhead, scattering the enemy. Pratchett's unquenchable good cheer carries this along as it did the first volume. Although Nomes are certainly literary cousins to Borrowers, they have neither their rigorous logic in interacting with the human world nor their ingenuity. But they do have a mission, and a drive to grow. They also have file zany, slightly off-center sensibility of Pratchett, who tells a rollicking good story. The imminent third volume will be eagerly awaited.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1991
ISBN: 006009494X
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2000
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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