The sports may hook readers, but the bullying will land them.
Adding layers of complexity to the interactions of athletes, this sports novel set in Seattle offers a twofer: football and soccer.
Hunter Gates, a blond, white quarterback with his future focused on football, has both henchmen and a high-pressure father. Chinese-American Richie Fang couldn’t be more different. He’s a boisterous spark plug who loves attention and bad jokes and is the ideal target for bullying despite his soccer prowess. He’s also intensely competitive in every arena, with achievements in violin, math, architecture, and chess, fulfilling many model-minority stereotypes. Narrator Brock Ripley, a white sophomore and soccer goalie with a reputation for a yellow streak, befriends Richie. When Hunter’s dad asks Brock to practice with Hunter, Brock discovers a potential as a football wide receiver due to good hands and ball sense. The two develop rapport on field, but Brock cringes as he witnesses Hunter’s bullying, particularly of Richie—but he does nothing. Sharing chess and a parent who is not healthy with Richie brings them close. The foreshadowing of what happens when Richie is pushed beyond reason ratchets up the tension, mirrored by the play on the field over the two years covered. Race is crucial to the plot, as stereotypical expectations are both utilized and confronted; most characters are white or Asian, with a few African-Americans.
The sports may hook readers, but the bullying will land them. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-64961-3
Page Count: 336
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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