Fine has a unique gift for presenting serious topics in stories leavened with circumstances and dialogue made hilarious not so much because they're exaggerated as because they're all too believable. Having dealt with a war between divorced parents (Alias Madame Doubtfire, 1988) and an attack by a reluctant stepchild on her new dad (My War with Goggle-Eyes, 1989, Carnegie Medal), she now presents a painfully familiar, laugh-aloud funny conflict between a teenager and her whole family. Prompted by an author on a school visit (in the book's most delightfully satirical scene), nice, gangly Will Flowers describes his family's agony in the wake of his one-year-younger sister Estelle's abrupt metamorphosis from gentle, reliable 13- year-old to perpetually belligerent banshee. Doggedly, Mum (who's a lawyer) and Dad (who runs a gas station) try to keep their cool and spell each other with the rough spots, but they're so focused on their new problem child that they hardly notice that little Muffy is so shell-shocked that she has virtually stopped speaking, while ever-hungry Will can never find a crisis-free time for someone to give him lunch money. Meanwhile, Will rereads a favorite book on life in the trenches in WW I, garnering enlightening parallels; and Fine deftly lets slip the news that he's not so easy to live with, either, and needs to assert himself more—like the precocious Estelle. Sure enough, when Will finally speaks out, the entire family dynamic is nudged toward sanity; even Estelle regains some humanity. A winner: wise, witty, and right on target. (Fiction. 12+)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-316-28992-2
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1991
An enviable hero and appealing wish fulfillment that’s spiced with teen-friendship drama.
When her family moves to London, an American teen adjusts to a new school in this middle-grade novel.
Previously, 12-year-old Mackenzie Blue Carmichael, called Zee, detailed her seventh grade escapades in the five-volume Mackenzie Blue series. Now a year older and in the eighth grade, the red-haired, blue-eyed, olive-skinned Zee faces a major life change because her father’s job is taking the family to London from Los Angeles. Besides leaving behind sunny skies for London fog, Zee must say goodbye to Chloe Lawrence-Johnson, her best friend from Brookdale Academy. Another big change is that Zee will be attending a boarding school, The Hollows Creative Arts Academy, in the Cotswolds. That’s a bit intimidating, but the school has some huge advantages, especially its focus on the arts. She can concentrate on her singing and songwriting while studying academic subjects. Plus, her Brookdale friend Ally Stern now lives in Paris, just two hours away. Despite her anxieties, Zee makes several friends quickly. Unexpectedly, she is taken into the charmed circle of Izzy Matthews, a popular YouTuber, and hits it off with the school’s hottest ninth grade boy, the posh Archibald “Archie” Saint John the Fourth, a fellow songwriter. But hurdles remain, such as staying in touch with Chloe across time zones. Ally, too, has been mysteriously distant, canceling a planned Paris rendezvous for unclear reasons. Wells (now writing with Smith) continues the Mackenzie Blue series under a new umbrella title. Transplanting Zee to England allows for a fresh array of challenges and adventures, and American readers will likely enjoy learning about cultural differences with Britain. (Some references are off target; for example, the name St. John isn’t spelled “Saint John.”) Zee has a lively voice that makes her sound like a friend any teen would like to have, although few readers will be able to relate to the characters’ wealthy lives. Teens own expensive, high-status items like Alexander McQueen sneakers, and their school is so far out of reach for most that it might as well be Hogwarts. These elements are certainly entertaining as an aspirational fantasy, though Zee’s troubles seem lightweight indeed among so much privilege. The fast-paced plot ends rather abruptly just as it feels as if Zee’s story is really getting started; the tale continues in Book 2. Jamison supplies monochrome illustrations that deftly convey the teens’ expressive emotions.
An enviable hero and appealing wish fulfillment that’s spiced with teen-friendship drama.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 167
Publisher: West Margin Press
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A well-written, succinct summary covers the major controversies over use or preservation. Distinguishing among conservationists who support ``multiple use'' (including recreation, logging, and mining), preservationists who want to keep wild land untouched, and environmentalists who link preservation to global environmental problems, Dolan presents the history of national parks, forests, and wilderness areas and the threats they face. To personalize the issues, he includes italicized examples: e.g., smog might keep the reader from seeing much at the Grand Canyon. But Dolan's ideas for avoiding crowding problems suffer from somewhat patronizing phrasing, and parts of the book are already dated: some species of salmon have been declared endangered (Dolan does mention the effects of this decision), and no mention is made of Bush's attempt to redefine wetlands to allow housing development, a major flip-flop for the ``environmental president.'' In general, though, Dolan fairly presents all sides, calling in the end for compromise. Extensive source notes and bibliography; b&w photo insert and index not seen. (Nonfiction. 12+)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-531-11062-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
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