This tale of ultimate wish fulfillment is a must-read for starry-eyed fans of boy bands.
A preteen girl obsessed with a boy band learns that her biggest dream is coming true—she’s joining the band on their tour!
Artist-in-training Mackenzie is a perky seventh-grader obsessed with the dreamy boy band Perfect Storm. The group—pensive Kyle, prankster Heath, and supercute Zander—is quickly rising up through the charts. Determined to meet the impossibly blue-eyed Zander in person, Mackenzie writes him a poem and draws a poster, but she signs her middle name, Sabrina. When she learns that her mother, who works for a prestigious tour-management firm, will be taking her along to help manage PS' tour, she can’t believe her good fortune. Once on the road with the boys, she quickly learns that they’re nothing like their projected personas and that she may have more in common with Kyle than Zander. But when PS launches a fan contest and Sabrina's entry is picked for a finalist, Mac may have to come clean about what she's done—and whom she really likes. Written in diary entries and interspersed with vaguely manga-styled illustrations as well as some of Mackenzie’s comic-book stories, this hits the sweet spot for fans of Dork Diaries.
This tale of ultimate wish fulfillment is a must-read for starry-eyed fans of boy bands. (Fiction. 7-12)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-316-25972-9
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape.
The fourth installment in Delacre’s early-reader series centers on the rich musical traditions of Puerto Rico, once again featuring sibling tree frogs Rafi and Rosi Coquí.
Readers learn along with Rafi and Rosi as they explore bomba, plena, and salsa in three chapters. A glossary at the beginning sets readers up well to understand the Spanish vocabulary, including accurate phoneticization for non-Spanish speakers. The stories focus on Rafi and Rosi’s relationship within a musical context. For example, in one chapter Rafi finds out that he attracts a larger audience playing his homemade güiro with Rosi’s help even though he initially excluded her: “Big brothers only.” Even when he makes mistakes, as the older brother, Rafi consoles Rosi when she is embarrassed or angry at him. In each instance, their shared joy for music and dance ultimately shines through any upsets—a valuable reflection of unity. Informational backmatter and author’s sources are extensive. Undoubtedly these will help teachers, librarians, and parents to develop Puerto Rican cultural programs, curriculum, or home activities to extend young readers’ learning. The inclusion of instructions to make one’s own homemade güiro is a thoughtful addition. The Spanish translation, also by Delacre and published simultaneously, will require a more advanced reader than the English one to recognize and comprehend contractions (“pa’bajo-pa-pa’rriba”) and relatively sophisticated vocabulary.
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape. (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-89239-429-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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