A horror story based on reality, believably and sensitively constructed in the voice of the young protagonist.
During the summer between fifth and sixth grades, Owen’s best friend is exploited by an adult male babysitter.
Narrator Owen Todd is 11, white, living with his parents and 5-year-old sister in a small town on Cape Cod. His father is co-owner with Owen’s uncle of a go-kart business, and his mother makes crafts and volunteers “a couple of places.” Sean Huff, Owen’s best friend from kindergarten, is also white, but he’s diabetic, shorter than Owen, and frequently sits out their baseball games on the bench, and his parents are separated. Sean’s mother has engaged a young white man from their church to “babysit” Sean while she works at a new job in Provincetown. Paul behaves oddly with Sean, failing to close the bathroom door while urinating and, later, “accidently” showing Sean a picture of a naked boy on his cellphone. Sean later reveals to Owen that Paul’s behavior has become aggressive—and includes other men. Abbott handles this escalation with care, demonstrating the ways that a predator can isolate and intimidate a victim. Sean is so wounded and terrified that he convinces Owen he will kill himself if Owen breaks his confidence. Owen acts at last, with a bit of rash courage, but the end of the story is only partly happy.
A horror story based on reality, believably and sensitively constructed in the voice of the young protagonist. (author’s note) (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-374-30550-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Like a catchy song, this hits all the right notes.
A teen musician is at a crossroads, both musically and romantically.
In this third series installment, 14-year-old Bina’s band, Fancy Pink, gets a break: After a disastrous show opening for hit band Anne Surly, they hit upon a stroke of luck when one of their songs is picked up by a streaming show. Now the band has an offer of a record deal on the table, but Bina’s parents say no. Determined to make an album, Bina and her band mates decide to finance it themselves, but this involves lying to their parents. Bina’s band issues aren’t her only worry. A few fizzled dates with Anne Surly singer Cooper cause her to realize that maybe she finally reciprocates the feelings of her on-again, off-again BFF, Austin. Will Bina be able to get her record made and tell Austin how she feels? Larson’s comic charms with its two-tone pink panels and sweetly wrought tale. Although she occasionally stumbles, Bina’s journey of self-discovery is captivating, as she takes time to think and work things through and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Bina and Austin’s friendship has had its ups and downs, and those who have followed this series will relish seeing resolution in the will-they, won’t-they leading up to this volume. Bina is biracial, with a dark-skinned mom and White-presenting dad; the supporting cast is racially diverse (conveyed largely through illustrations), with queer members.
Like a catchy song, this hits all the right notes. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-374-31163-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
Gephart’s compassion is noble, but it’s not enough to make Lily's story resonate.
Lily is trans and is facing puberty, which will make her look less than herself than she does now, while new kid Dunkin’s manic impulsiveness makes him a misfit; though they click immediately, life gets complicated.
According to her author’s note, Gephart promised her son a story with a character who is bipolar like him and promised herself a story of a trans girl, to help foster understanding of people like them. Gephart clearly has a lot of heart, and she tells their stories with compassion. They speak in alternating first-person narration with cursive headers for Lily and block capitals for Dunkin. Dunkin’s insensitivity during manic episodes doesn’t erase the fact that he’s a good kid, and that comes through. But trans readers will likely not recognize themselves in Lily, even if they share some common ground. Lily is perfectly polite, unfailingly kind, with nary a bad thought, angelic right up to her fairy-tale ending. Though Gephart does a good job of rounding out her other characters, Lily is so pristine that she feels mythical, falling into the pile of fiction’s magical misfits so perfect it’s impossible not to accept this one little departure from the norm. There are too few messy, complicated trans heroes that still find love and acceptance in literature for kids, and while cis readers may find it educational, this isn’t going to change that.
Gephart’s compassion is noble, but it’s not enough to make Lily's story resonate. (resources) (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-553-53674-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
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