An upbeat tale of resourceful recycling for young environmentalists.
In Noll’s (The Bicycle Fence, 2015) second installment of his environmentally minded children’s book series, a young boy gets his start as a chicken and egg farmer.
As in the previous book, Noll begins by introducing readers to the concept of recycling to reduce waste and ultimately preserve the planet. To that end, he very clearly lays out a dictionary definition of recycling and the different ways that readers can participate in the process. (Even the book’s sturdy pages are recycled.) A little more explanation for young readers about how recycling helps the planet would have been useful, and it could make for a good discussion topic for an adult caregiver and child. Noll reintroduces L.T. as an industrious, thoughtful boy who’s always giving new life and purpose to discarded objects. Here, the author presents a positive role model for children that will be easy for them to emulate. The first illustration by Fall and Nishio shows an excited L.T. collecting discarded springs in front of his makeshift fence made of bicycle parts and his “recycled pets” that he rescued from an animal shelter. As in the previous book, graphic washes of bold colors create vibrant scenes. The illustrators constantly change viewpoints throughout the story, and the fast-paced tale’s expressive characters give it an energetic flow. Later, L.T. is charged with the important task of caring for his grandparents’ chickens while they’re on vacation. He’s rewarded for his responsible caretaking with a dozen chicks of his very own and learns that chicks have many needs, such as warmth and shelter. Using resources at hand, he scours the attic and makes a surprising home for the chicks out of seemingly useless items, such as a feather boa and an abandoned dollhouse. An ambitious young entrepreneur, he then designs a portable nest and attaches it to his bike so that he can sell the freshest eggs around. Once again, Noll shows young readers how L.T.’s creative reimagining of recycled materials makes for successful projects. Overall, although this book has a less universally applicable lesson than the previous installment, it’s just as inspiring.
An upbeat tale of resourceful recycling for young environmentalists.Pub Date: March 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1939377586
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Green Kids Press
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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