Humorous and well-paced, with relatable preteen characters and an authentic family dynamic.
A boy with a secret crush experiences a day of high hopes and messy mishaps in Otey’s middle-grade novel.
Eleven-year-old Izzy is sure that today will be amazing: Not only will he be singing solo in the school concert, but a girl sent him a note saying that she likes him and will reveal her identity at lunch. Izzy is certain that it will be cute Kristen; what could go wrong? Plenty, as it turns out in this funny and relatable novel about one eventful day in Izzy’s life. Relayed hour by hour, Izzy’s day begins at 6 a.m. Getting ready for school, he vies with his three older siblings for the only bathroom, where, hoping to impress Kristen, he uses an entire bottle of chocolate-scented body wash, earning his siblings’ snickers and gibes. An unsightly lump on his forehead (caused when his sister’s car hit a stop sign), and a painful dodgeball incident don’t help his appearance, and the explosive result of a vinegar-fueled science experiment leaves him smelling like a chocolate-covered pickle. Daydreaming about Kristen, Izzy just can’t concentrate. The mystery girl is a no-show; Izzy’s spirits nosedive, and his best friend Jess scolds him for spreading his “funky melted-chocolate-scented mood all around.” When the concert rehearsal starts, Izzy may have lost his voice along with his confidence. This light-hearted, empathetic observation of preteen angst ends Izzy’s day at 9 p.m., after his surprise encounter with his secret admirer, comic mayhem unleashed by Izzy’s toddler brother at a restaurant, and an understated but meaningful subplot involving Izzy’s grandfather. The interactions among Izzy and his siblings—the teasing, complaints, and squabbles—clearly rest on a foundation of familial caring: “My family is crazy and weird, but I love them,” Izzy confesses. The book’s lively young characters leap off the page, enhanced by Winkler’s black-and-white spot illustrations and design elements in the text that add emphasis. The book ends with instructions for Izzy’s science experiment and a teaser for a sequel.
Humorous and well-paced, with relatable preteen characters and an authentic family dynamic.Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781736130377
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Phoenix Media & Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
This can’t be the last we ever hear of the Legendary Alston Boys of the purely surreal Logan County—imaginative,...
Can this really be the first time readers meet the Legendary Alston Boys of Logan County? Cousins and veteran sleuths Otto and Sheed Alston show us that we are the ones who are late to their greatness.
These two black boys are coming to terms with the end of their brave, heroic summer at Grandma’s, with a return to school just right around the corner. They’ve already got two keys to the city, but the rival Epic Ellisons—twin sisters Wiki and Leen—are steadily gaining celebrity across Logan County, Virginia, and have in hand their third key to the city. No way summer can end like this! These young people are powerful, courageous, experienced adventurers molded through their heroic commitment to discipline and deduction. They’ve got their shared, lifesaving maneuvers committed to memory (printed in a helpful appendix) and ready to save any day. Save the day they must, as a mysterious, bendy gentleman and an oversized, clingy platypus have been unleashed on the city of Fry, and all the residents and their belongings seem to be frozen in time and place. Will they be able to solve this one? With total mastery, Giles creates in Logan County an exuberant vortex of weirdness, where the commonplace sits cheek by jowl with the utterly fantastic, and populates it with memorable characters who more than live up to their setting.
This can’t be the last we ever hear of the Legendary Alston Boys of the purely surreal Logan County—imaginative, thrill-seeking readers, this is a series to look out for. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-46083-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Versify/HMH
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
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