A heartfelt and endearing snapshot of adolescence.
Turning 12 isn’t easy.
In this stand-alone companion to Growing Pangs (2022), Katie cannot wait for her 12th birthday. She’s looking forward to getting her first real babysitting job, auditioning for the musical Annie, and hanging out with BFFs Ginni and Amalie. Unfortunately, 12 isn’t turning out as she expected: Ginni and Amalie are moving away to help their grandmother, Katie doesn’t land her coveted lead role in the musical, the mean girls in her church youth group bully her, and her anxiety and OCD (which she describes as her “buzzing thoughts”) seem to be worsening. When Katie meets Grace, who’s also cast in Annie, she realizes that this is her first crush. Growing up home-schooled and religious, she’s been steeped in purity culture and homophobia, creating a deep chasm of anxiety as she struggles to find self-acceptance, confidence, and community. Loosely based on Ormsbee’s own life, this delightful tale is a stellar middle-grade offering, adroitly capturing the heartbreak and joy of early adolescence. The alluringly vibrant illustrations feel cinematic, with their immersive feel and keen emphasis on facial expressions. Notes from both the author and artist provide resources and enriching anecdotes. With its unabashed candor, empathy, and accessibility, this book will appeal to fans of Raina Telgemeier, Kayla Miller, and Shannon Hale who are searching for their next favorite read. Katie and Grace present white; Amalie and Ginni have brown skin and wavy black hair.
A heartfelt and endearing snapshot of adolescence. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9780593650066
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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
SEEN & HEARD
A warm bundle of holiday cheer.
In a funny, feel-good tale, 12-year-old twins separated at birth meet by chance and try to pull off a family switch during the December holidays.
The girls, who are cued white, agree that it would be a delicious prank, but each has a personal motive, too: Aviva Davis, who was adopted by a culturally Jewish mom and a Black dad who was raised Christian, wonders what it’s like to celebrate Christmas. Budding author Holly Martin, who was adopted by a white-presenting single mom, sees a golden opportunity to gather experiences for a school writing assignment about facing her fears. In a plot as sweet as a Hanukkah jelly doughnut and twisty as a Christmas cinnamon roll, the pair just manages to bail one another out of a string of sticky situations—both hilarious and otherwise. They both learn something of the customs and meaning of the two holidays while working through tears and laughter—not to mention conflicts sparked by their very different personalities. Everything culminates in a holiday performance at a local senior center that will have readers rising up to cheer them on. Though their history remains tantalizingly mysterious, for the protagonists, who narrate alternating chapters, it’s mission accomplished and more: Aviva emerges feeling more secure in her Jewish identity, while anxious Holly discovers unexpected depths of courage.
A warm bundle of holiday cheer. (song lyrics) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9781250360670
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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