An informative coming-of-age journey.
A story of faith and courage.
Wisconsin eighth grader Anoop is bullied because of his Sikh religion; his classmates call him unspeakable names. Meanwhile, the gurudwara where the family worships is patrolled by the police; another Sikh temple in Wisconsin was attacked several years ago. Thirteen-year-old Anoop is part of a loving family, surrounded by siblings and friends, although his parents are worried about the health of Baba, his grandfather back in India. A visit to see Baba over winter break gives Anoop a feeling of “not belonging in either place / … / dangling between / India / and / America.” But as he begins to look deeply into his faith, he finds strength there and is able to assert that, despite what some people say, he is “anchored by invisible roots / that will keep me from toppling / … / No matter what happens. / No matter how they treat me.” The straightforward verse contains some bursts of sparkle but overall reads more like prose, and although a lot happens, the plot feels static. The novel contains a great deal of information about the Sikh religion. One of the most moving parts of the book is Sheth’s author’s note, in which she explains that she was raised Hindu and was sincerely moved by learning about the commitment of Sikhism’s founder, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, to equality as well as the Sikh community’s reaction to the 2012 shooting at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, gurudwara.
An informative coming-of-age journey. (Verse fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781682636060
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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
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