Durbin's first novel is an impressive coming-of-age tale set in Montreal at the dawn of the 19th century. When Pierre's father severely cuts himself while doing one of the boy's chores, the guilt-ridden 13-year-old leaves school and enlists as a voyageur for the North West Company. Voyageurs freighted goods thousands of miles, from Montreal to Grand Portage. As one of the rowers in one of the convoy's canoes, Pierre, who knows his family will not last the winter without his wages, paddles 1618 hours a day, with few breaks. Soon, bloodied, blistering hands, aching muscles, and taunts from the older, more seasoned voyageurs fill his days. While the physical demands threaten to crush his spirit, Pierre nevertheless remains open- minded, and soon kinder men like La Londe and Charbonneau offer friendly advice and keep an eye out for the hardworking young man. Durbin brings in a wealth of facts about the canoes, the countryside, and tools the voyageurs used, all adding realism to the tale. The sudden drowning of La Londe sends the boy into a confrontation with grief that leaves him with a clear-eyed view of mortality. The teasing and name-calling of the crustier voyageurs is unrelenting, but appropriate for this salty, rough, and feisty bunch. Readers will embrace this unusual journey and its path to true bravery, strength of character, and self-reliance. (map, not seen) (Fiction. 10+)
Pub Date: March 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-385-32224-0
Page Count: 163
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1996
A literal cliffhanger leaves eager readers hanging; next stop: Greece—and Tartarus.
After waging two separate quests (The Lost Hero, 2010; The Son of Neptune, 2011), the Greek and Roman demigods of Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus quintet join forces.
With his now-trademark zero-to-60 acceleration, the author engineers a ghostly possession to set Greeks and Romans at odds and initiates the Prophecy of the Seven, hurtling Annabeth, Percy, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank and Jason into a pell-mell flight on the magical trireme Argo II. They seek the titular Mark of Athena, which they hope will provide the key to defeating the vengeful Earth mother, Gaea, or at least some of her giant offspring. As the trireme crosses the country, the pace drags while the demigods sort out relationships and work to figure out both cryptic prophecy and nightmare visions. With sweethearts Annabeth and Percy once again united, much of the tension that powered earlier books is gone. Once the Argo II leaves the United States, though, the pace picks up, and the comically instructive set pieces Riordan’s so good at emerge. A Luddite god rails against what he calls the “b-book,” which displaced the far superior scroll technology; Annabeth gets a crash course in the cult of Mithros far below the streets of Rome. Here, Riordan’s infectious love for his subject matter really comes through, even as he takes some real risks with his characters.
A literal cliffhanger leaves eager readers hanging; next stop: Greece—and Tartarus. (glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4231-4060-3
Page Count: 608
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A morally satisfying page turner.
A teenage boy becomes a spy in Nazi-occupied Norway.
After the Germans invade his country in 1940, Espen goes from a life of school, Scouts and soccer games to delivering underground newspapers. Gradually, he advances to transporting secret documents via bicycle or skis and spying on Gestapo locations for the intelligence branch of the Resistance. Along the way, he navigates relationships with a beloved best friend who has joined the Nazis, his younger sister and peers who share his passion for opposition, as well as a budding romance with Solveig, who wears a red stocking hat signaling displeasure with the new regime. Newbery Honor winner Preus (Heart of a Samurai, 2010) infuses the story with the good-natured humor of a largely unified, peace-loving people trying to keep their sanity in a world gone awry. Based on a true story, the narrative is woven with lively enough daily historical detail to inspire older middle-grade readers to want to learn more about the Resistance movement and imitate Espen’s adventures. A selectively omniscient narrator moves from sister Ingrid’s diaries to the inner thoughts of Espen’s nemesis, Aksel. Preus also incorporates a Norse myth about Odin to shed light on what it means to be wise, the possibility of knowing too much and how to resist shadowing the mountain of hope.
A morally satisfying page turner. (author’s note, archival photographs, maps, timeline, selected bibliography) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0424-6
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
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