An enjoyable frolic with a great message that kids won't even notice they're absorbing.
Which is worse: a shark or a 13-year-old bully?
Ana Wright is more worried about working with her archnemesis, Ashley, than she is about handling the sharks at the new Marine Adventure Zone in her family’s zoo. Ashley has always been beautiful, popular and mean, and now Ana fears Ashley is going to seek revenge for a trick Ana played on her a few weeks ago. But it turns out that Ashley is pretty nice and even helps Ana out with some wardrobe issues. Can Ana ever shake off the feeling that Ashley's mean side may be revealed at any moment? Add into the mix a pact over a first kiss plus her always-annoying twin brother, and it's no surprise Ana starts to stress. Keating maintains the same humorous, lightly soul-searching tone, perfect for a barely teenage girl, with which she infused Ana’s first outing, How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes Are Untied (2014). Ana and her friends explore the widening doorway of adolescence in a way that's both innocent and marked with fresh knowledge about desire and disaster in the realm of relationships. Occasionally, Ana's inner monologue leans too heavily on material she's previously explored, such as whether or not Kevin likes her, but the overall theme of living up to one’s own expectations makes for solid narrative bedrock.
An enjoyable frolic with a great message that kids won't even notice they're absorbing. (Fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4022-9758-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
After Castro’s takeover, nine-year-old Julian and his older brothers are sent away by their fearful parents via “Operation Pedro Pan” to a camp in Miami for Cuban-exile children. Here he discovers that a ruthless bully has essentially been put in charge. Julian is quicker-witted than his brothers or anyone else ever imagined, though, and with his inherent smarts, developing maturity and the help of child and adult friends, he learns to navigate the dynamics of the camp and surroundings and grows from the former baby of the family to independence and self-confidence. A daring rescue mission at the end of the novel will have readers rooting for Julian even as it opens his family’s eyes to his courage and resourcefulness. This autobiographical novel is a well-meaning, fast-paced and often exciting read, though at times the writing feels choppy. It will introduce readers to a not-so-distant period whose echoes are still felt today and inspire admiration for young people who had to be brave despite frightening and lonely odds. (Historical fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59643-168-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
Eleven-year-old Griffin Bing is “the man with the plan.” If something needs doing, Griffin carefully plans a fix and his best friend Ben usually gets roped in as assistant. When the town council ignores his plan for a skate park on the grounds of the soon-to-be demolished Rockford House, Griffin plans a camp-out in the house. While there, he discovers a rare Babe Ruth baseball card. His family’s money worries are suddenly a thing of the past, until unscrupulous collectables dealer S. Wendell Palomino swindles him. Griffin and Ben plan to snatch the card back with a little help. Pet-lover Savannah whispers the blood-thirsty Doberman. Rock-climber “Pitch” takes care of scaling the house. Budding-actor Logan distracts the nosy neighbor. Computer-expert Melissa hacks Palomino’s e-mail and the house alarm. Little goes according to plan, but everything turns out all right in this improbable but fun romp by the prolific and always entertaining Korman. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-439-90344-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2008
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