An inspirational throwback for families seeking tales with a classic feel.
What secrets will Zack and his siblings discover in and around the cryptic Tower?
When 11-year-old Zack Einstein and his family move to Vista Point, Zack still blames himself for the accidental death of his younger sister the previous year. He’s paralyzed by grief until he follows a mysterious girl into the abandoned nine-sided Tower. What he discovers sets Zack off on a summer filled with secret messages, a hidden cave, and a touch of the supernatural, But can Zack put the pieces of the mystery together before his family’s dream of opening a bed-and-breakfast is dashed by a cantankerous old man? The fascinating cipher that ties it all together is the highlight of this wholesome, gentle story set in 2002. There’s little doubt this novel was inspired by classic sibling adventure stories. Indeed, Zack’s favorite series, the fictional Falcons and Bandits, reads like an homage to Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons. Zack’s emotional journey is compelling, yet his siblings’ one-dimensionality keeps this work from ascending to the heights of more character-driven titles. The happy ending is sweet—some may find it cloyingly so—offering closure for Zack, his family, and even the story’s villain-turned-friend. The Einsteins are Jewish and White; other major characters are assumed White. Occasional spot illustrations add visual interest.
An inspirational throwback for families seeking tales with a classic feel. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31743-6
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
A warm bundle of holiday cheer.
In a funny, feel-good tale, 12-year-old twins separated at birth meet by chance and try to pull off a family switch during the December holidays.
The girls, who are cued white, agree that it would be a delicious prank, but each has a personal motive, too: Aviva Davis, who was adopted by a culturally Jewish mom and a Black dad who was raised Christian, wonders what it’s like to celebrate Christmas. Budding author Holly Martin, who was adopted by a white-presenting single mom, sees a golden opportunity to gather experiences for a school writing assignment about facing her fears. In a plot as sweet as a Hanukkah jelly doughnut and twisty as a Christmas cinnamon roll, the pair just manages to bail one another out of a string of sticky situations—both hilarious and otherwise. They both learn something of the customs and meaning of the two holidays while working through tears and laughter—not to mention conflicts sparked by their very different personalities. Everything culminates in a holiday performance at a local senior center that will have readers rising up to cheer them on. Though their history remains tantalizingly mysterious, for the protagonists, who narrate alternating chapters, it’s mission accomplished and more: Aviva emerges feeling more secure in her Jewish identity, while anxious Holly discovers unexpected depths of courage.
A warm bundle of holiday cheer. (song lyrics) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9781250360670
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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