A problematic lead character could leave this book struggling to find a mainstream audience.
In Gand’s debut novel, originally posted on Wattpad, two teenagers spar their way toward romance.
Elizabeth Blackburn is the new girl in school. Her goals are simple: be the top student at ritzy Star Lake High and fend off the attention of gorgeous, arrogant Vincent Richardson. Vincent has it all: He excels “in art, music, sports, and academics”; he’s also good-looking, wealthy and popular, and used to getting everything he wants. Elizabeth, whom he persists in calling “Liz” no matter how many times she tells him not to, throws him for a loop. Soon, she has passed him in every subject and stubbornly refuses to give him the time of day. And when she lets her hair down, she’s the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. He’s undeterred by rejection, and when she gives him a list of 10 reasons she won’t fall in love with him, he’s determined to eliminate them one by one, whether she wants him to or not. Romance starting as rivalry is a familiar premise but one that still resonates—the denizens of Wattpad rated the story highly—and Gand’s setup, giving Vincent 10 obstacles to methodically wipe out, has promise. Her prose is straightforward and readable, but Gand sometimes takes the bickering too far. Vincent’s persistence often crosses the line, forcing Elizabeth to physically fight him: “Elizabeth tried to push him away, but Vincent used his weight to keep her down.” Coupled with his violent tendencies (he gets in multiple fistfights over the course of the book, occasionally attacking other boys who dare to look at Liz), Vincent’s behavior comes off as rather predatory instead of romantic.
A problematic lead character could leave this book struggling to find a mainstream audience.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-0692223604
Page Count: 312
Publisher: WGPress
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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