An engaging coming-of-age tale of a girl discovering herself, love and her own worth.
In the second volume of Ross’ trio of pioneer romances, a headstrong girl in 1891 Big Sur country carves out her own destiny against the edicts of her strict father and the censure of her small, rigid community.
Blaze Allan has always been a dutiful daughter, hardworking and devoted to her family, especially her autocratic but beloved father, Zande. But when Zande decrees that she will marry a local rancher, Blaze feels the first stirrings of rebellion—especially after she meets an exciting newcomer while riding her family’s land. As she realizes she wants more from life than the path her parents set for her, Blaze’s small mutinies culminate in her innocently meeting a local boy at a deserted cave near the beach. After the two are stranded by the tide, the boy dies trying to swim for safety and save her reputation; yet Blaze finds herself ostracized and condemned by the tight-knit community—including her own family. She sets out on her own to look for a new life in Monterey. But when she’s offered everything she thought she ever wanted, Blaze questions whether she’ll let her pride stand in the way of her future. Ross has a gift for taking a minimal plotline and buoying it with a complex, well-drawn protagonist. Character development sustains Ross’ book and contributes to its impact, exemplified by the complex internal dilemmas of rigid Zande’s willful, independent yet conscientious daughter as she struggles to balance her own desires against her duty and society’s strictures. Ross’ realistic, compelling picture of the difficult lives faced by Big Sur pioneers contrasts sharply with the more modern society of 1890s Monterey. Yet the novel truly shines as a snapshot into the societal mores of the time, as strong-minded Blaze fights to assert herself as a woman in a world that relegates her gender to second class.
An engaging coming-of-age tale of a girl discovering herself, love and her own worth.Pub Date: April 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-1938924019
Page Count: 298
Publisher: Coast Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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BOOK REVIEW
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