by Hilda Eunice Burgos ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 2, 2018
Readers will find places in their hearts for this strong and multifaceted character.
Ana Maria dreams of going to a top-notch private school, but with her family’s income, only a full scholarship will make her dream come true.
Ana Maria Reyes Castillo—her father’s last name means Kings, and her mother’s last name means Castle—does not live in a castle even though her mother reminds her that “we are the Reyes! Wherever we live is our castle.” In fact, she lives with her parents and three sisters in a two-bedroom apartment in Washington Heights, a heavily Dominican neighborhood of New York City, and a new sibling is on its way, to boot. Through 11-year-old Ana Maria’s voice as she oscillates between self-absorption and empathy, readers discover a close-knit community of family and neighbors. As Ana Maria prepares for a piano recital that she hopes will help her win the coveted scholarship, other events ensue that help her see the importance of the choices she makes: a family trip to the Dominican Republic; a car accident; the birth of the new baby. Burgos’ characters have depth, and the community she portrays is complex, warm, and very real. Themes of socio-economic disparities, bilingualism, and straddling of two cultures are brought effortlessly and realistically into the story.
Readers will find places in their hearts for this strong and multifaceted character. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62014-362-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Tu Books
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
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by Jeff Kinney ; illustrated by Jeff Kinney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 5, 2019
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
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SEEN & HEARD
by Kate McKinnon ; illustrated by Alfredo Cáceres ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2024
Fiercely feisty and unapologetically goofy.
Three young girls are tasked with saving their town from a vicious worm.
This romp from actor McKinnon introduces the three Porch girls: Gertrude, age 12 and three-quarters, Eugenia, age 12 and one-eighth, and Dee-Dee, age 11. Cared for by Aunt Desdemona and Uncle Ansel (along with their seven cousins, who are all named Lavinia), they’re forced to live in a ramshackle shed at the edge of the property. In a classic turn of events, the sisters are invited to a new school run by a certain Millicent Quibb. Under Quibb’s eccentric tutelage, the trio learn that the nefarious Krenetics Research Association, hoping to release their founder, Talon Sharktūth, from his vault, has bred a Kyrgalops, a vicious stone- and puppy-chomping worm, which may destroy their entire town. McKinnon’s middle-grade debut is grandiosely silly, reminiscent of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events in both its sesquipedalian language and tone and in relying heavily on its bespoke lexicon, verbal gymnastics, and cheeky footnotes to deliver jokes. Interspersed throughout are bits of visual interest—poems and songs, schematics, and bits of correspondence. Though the action rockets along at a Pixy Stix–fueled pace, many questions are left unanswered or unaddressed, making this series opener exposition heavy and a bit frustrating. Still, readers will ultimately be left hopeful that subsequent volumes will offer something meatier. The illustrations cue some diversity of skin tone among the characters.
Fiercely feisty and unapologetically goofy. (map, afterword, appendices) (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780316554732
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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