A benign but detailed coming-of-age novel with relatable male teen characters.
A boy defies expectations while pursuing a coveted soccer trophy for his Jamaican high school in Prince’s middle-grade sequel.
Twelve-year-old Runkus Black’s primary years at Seashore Bay Preparatory are over. He wants to attend his dream high school, Castleton Academy, and join its renowned football (soccer) program, the consistent winner of the coveted Stephenson Cup. However, Runkus ends up having to go to Hillcrest Lagoon High School, where a view of the Caribbean and a comparable curriculum can’t make up for its lack of a football program and incomplete construction. Runkus also learns that money, favoritism, and a grudge against his uncle, a former coach at Castleton, influenced decisions about which students would be admitted there. The novel focuses on Runkus’ long-range plan to win the Stephenson Cup, but it spans his years at Hillcrest from the first form to the fifth (grades 7 to 11); through determination, hard work, academic success, physical training, and strategic planning, he and his friends work to gain the support of their entire school for their endeavor. Formidable challenges to success include Castleton’s arrogant star footballer, Kennedy Edward Stephenson III (known as “KES-III”), and his corrupt, powerful, media-controlling father, “KES-II.” Readers unfamiliar with the first book will likely be at a disadvantage, as Runkus’ previous exploits are referenced but not explained. However, the Jamaican-born author deftly connects the blossoming of Hillcrest (construction ends; spindly blue mahoe and lignum vitae trees grow leaves; a football field and school spirit materialize) to the year-to-year physical changes, character-building, and growing maturity of Runkus and his friends. Soccer fans will undoubtedly relish page after page of minute details of football practice, competitions, and strategy. Readers who don’t follow the sport, though, may tune out, and girls play only minor roles in the story as supportive friends and team cheerleaders. The authentic setting provides details regarding food (bammy and coco bread, curried goat), in-school devotional periods,and the importance of football programs in the country’s schools.
A benign but detailed coming-of-age novel with relatable male teen characters.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-5255-7305-7
Page Count: 193
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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