by Wendy Dunham ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2015
An honest look at faith and love.
Twelve-year-old River worries that her missing parents might not know where to find her when she and her grandmother move away from their home, but it has been 10 years, and her grandmother is determined to move forward, leaving old memories and pain behind.
Their new life quickly proves her grandmother’s sentiment that new things are not necessarily better or worse, just different. River meets Billy, a good-hearted son of a local preacher, who teaches her about love, forgiveness, and kindness all while introducing her to the surprising world of birds. River’s grandmother is equally inspired by their relocation, giving up smoking, starting physical therapy, and agreeing to attend church. Everything seems idyllic in Birdsong, West Virginia. But when tragedy strikes, River and her grandmother witness firsthand what true love and forgiveness look like. River’s calm strength and openness in the face of her difficult life make her a genuine heroine. And her kooky grandmother’s colloquialisms, energy, and obvious love add a dose of humor. While there are occasional moments of overearnestness, the overall effect is successful, a genuine portrayal of a young girl following a life of faith in a world marred with tragedy.
An honest look at faith and love. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7369-6461-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Harvest House
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015
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by Sandi Swiridoff & Wendy Dunham ; illustrated by Michal Sparks
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by Wendy Dunham ; illustrated by Michal Sparks
by Padma Venkatraman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 7, 2021
A gritty story filled with hope and idealism.
A young boy is forced to leave the Chennai jail that is the only home he’s ever known.
When Kabir is deemed too old to stay and is sent out into the world all alone, separated from his wrongfully imprisoned mother, he decides to search for the family of the father he has never met to try to save his mother from her unjustly long sentence. Armed with faith, instinctive wits, and the ability to run fast, Kabir escapes danger and meets Rani, a teenage girl from the marginalized Kurava, or Roma, people who is traveling with her parrot. She teaches Kabir, who has a Hindu mother and a Muslim father, about caste dynamics and survival on the streets. She accompanies him to Bengaluru, where Kabir eventually meets his paternal grandparents. Along the way, their experiences reveal the invisibility of low-caste people in Indian society, tensions between neighboring states over water supplies, and the unexpected kindness of helpful strangers. Kabir’s longing for freedom and justice underscores bittersweet twists and turns that resolve in an upbeat conclusion, celebrating his namesake, a saint who sought to unify Muslims and Hindus. Kabir engages readers by voicing his thoughts, vulnerability, and optimism: While his early physical environment was confined within prison walls, his imagination was nourished by stories and songs. This compelling novel develops at a brisk pace, advanced by evocative details and short chapters full of action.
A gritty story filled with hope and idealism. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11247-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
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PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
by Linda Epstein ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2022
An accessible look at grief, spirituality, and growth.
Ask anyone in Roosevelt Cove, New York: Daisy Rubens and Ruby Affini come as a pair.
Daisy—Jewish, curly-haired, and freckled—approaches the world with caution and an analytical mind. Meanwhile Ruby—Catholic, with olive-toned skin and straight, dark hair—sees magic everywhere and isn’t afraid of anything. When Ruby dies in an accident the summer before sixth grade, Daisy finds herself bereft of wonder. With the patience and compassion of her loving parents, her whimsical Aunt Toby, and some unfamiliar faces at school and synagogue, she slowly discovers new joy in life. Each character is richly imagined, their idiosyncrasies pondered and celebrated as Daisy parses her way through a world of connections without her best friend by her side. The novel finds its title in the Jewish idea of tikkun olam, and Daisy’s journey is one of repairing herself. Depictions of Jewish life and belief—in all its contemporary formulations—ring true, but where the novel really shines is through its use of sensory and emotional details. With incredible specificity and heart, Epstein carries Daisy through her grief, demystifying the experience of tragedy for her middle-grade audience. The book reads like a field guide for surviving the unimaginable: the prose simple but clearsighted, the plot an unassuming canvas against which characters and emotions bloom.
An accessible look at grief, spirituality, and growth. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-9855-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
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