A positive, informative account best suited for the author’s more than 1 million YouTube subscribers and social media...
With an assist from Ohlin, dancer-turned–reality star–turned-actress-turned–internet sensation Lukasiak offers advice for conquering bullying, overcoming shyness, following dreams, and growing up in the spotlight.
Packaged in pastels, purples, eggshells, and generous photos, all chapters begin with motivational quotes from various sources, including philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, actor Michael J. Fox, singer Taylor Swift, and the author herself, among several others. Speaking in first person and in nonlinear fashion, Lukasiak begins the book declaring, “I had a different path ahead of me—a shiny, wonderful, yet-to-be-revealed path.” Many readers will note that a white teenager pens this remark and wonder whether she fully comprehends its undertone of unearned privilege. The perpetually bullied and self-proclaimed shy dork delves into the hardships she has endured under the camera’s lens and advises peers how to best take care of themselves. Personal anecdotes, listicles, short stories, memories, social media posts, and poetry are interjected generously, often breaking up the message in each chapter. Though the presentation emulates the storied distractibility of the book’s audience, it is not idyllic for focusing on messages of betterment.
A positive, informative account best suited for the author’s more than 1 million YouTube subscribers and social media followers; others can give it a pass. (photographs, epilogue) (Memoir. 12-16)Pub Date: Jan. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-737-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2017
Congolese-American Sophie makes a harrowing trek through a war-torn jungle to protect a young bonobo.
On her way to spend the summer at the bonobo sanctuary her mother runs, 14-year-old Sophie rescues a sickly baby bonobo from a trafficker. Though her Congolese mother is not pleased Sophie paid for the ape, she is proud that Sophie works to bond with Otto, the baby. A week before Sophie's to return home to her father in Miami, her mother must take advantage
of a charter flight to relocate some apes, and she leaves Sophie with Otto and the sanctuary workers. War breaks out, and after missing a U.N. flight out, Sophie must hide herself and Otto from violent militants and starving villagers. Unable to take Otto out of the country, she decides finding her mother hundreds of miles to the north is her only choice. Schrefer jumps from his usual teen suspense to craft this well-researched tale of jungle survival set during a fictional conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Realistic characters (ape and human) deal with disturbing situations described in graphic, but never gratuitous detail. The lessons Sophie learns about her childhood home, love and what it means to be endangered will resonate with readers.
Even if some hairbreadth escapes test credulity, this is a great next read for fans of our nearest ape cousins or survival adventure. (map, author's note, author Q&A) (Adventure. 12-16)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-16576-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 2, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in.
A gleefully explicit catalogue of the past century’s headline-grabbing bad behavior.
Aimed at readers who don’t need to be told who Brangelina is but may be hazy on “twisted besties” Leopold and Loeb or even Monica Lewinsky, this edutaining survey presents a wide-angle array of murders, sexual follies, controversial trials, race violence, political corruption and general envelope-pushing from the 1906 killing of Stanford White on. Each of the chronologically arranged entries opens with a capsule “Scoop” followed by a slightly fuller account under a “What Went Down” header. Along with a small black-and-white photo and one or two sidebar quotes, the author tacks on subsequent developments, sometimes-perceptive suggestions about “Why We Still Care” and a short roster of similar incidents in recent history. Though she misspells “Symbionese” and repeatedly awards FDR only three Presidential wins, in general Fryd presents reasonably accurate summaries of events and issues while giving all sides of the more muddled conflicts at least a nod. Additional cred is provided by a teen panel of editorial advisors.
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in. (index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9827322-0-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Zest/Orange Avenue
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
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