Effective historical fiction revisiting a fascinating and complicated time in American history.
Two teens come of age during the Salem witch trials.
After losing their father on the ship from England, Thomas, a 15-year-old Quaker, has just arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, with Grace, his younger sister. It’s February 1692, and they reach their new home just as girls exhibiting abnormal behavior are believed to be bewitched and community members are accused of practicing witchcraft. Struggling in a Puritan community that is not welcoming to Quakers, Thomas eventually finds work as a shoemaker’s apprentice and locates housing with cantankerous Goodwidow Blevins. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Puritan Patience is alarmed when her younger sister, Abigail, succumbs to frightening fits. Abigail accuses Goodwidow Blevins of cursing her. In this story told in alternating points of view, Thomas’ and Patience’s paths cross and feelings begin to grow between them. Historical elements are deftly woven in, showing the impacts of the Salem witch trials, from the horrid conditions the accused faced while imprisoned to brutal hangings and the ways families were torn apart. The prejudice the Quakers faced both in England and the Colonies is portrayed sympathetically; there are also mentions of Christians’ prejudice toward Indigenous communities and the abduction of a white girl by the Wabanaki. The author takes care to weave various different theories for the causes of the events into the storyline. All main characters are coded white.
Effective historical fiction revisiting a fascinating and complicated time in American history. (discussion questions, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 12-17)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781728431024
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Heartbreaking, historical, and a little bit hopeful.
January 1945: as Russians advance through East Prussia, four teens’ lives converge in hopes of escape.
Returning to the successful formula of her highly lauded debut, Between Shades of Gray (2011), Sepetys combines research (described in extensive backmatter) with well-crafted fiction to bring to life another little-known story: the sinking (from Soviet torpedoes) of the German ship Wilhelm Gustloff. Told in four alternating voices—Lithuanian nurse Joana, Polish Emilia, Prussian forger Florian, and German soldier Alfred—with often contemporary cadences, this stints on neither history nor fiction. The three sympathetic refugees and their motley companions (especially an orphaned boy and an elderly shoemaker) make it clear that while the Gustloff was a German ship full of German civilians and soldiers during World War II, its sinking was still a tragedy. Only Alfred, stationed on the Gustloff, lacks sympathy; almost a caricature, he is self-delusional, unlikable, a Hitler worshiper. As a vehicle for exposition, however, and a reminder of Germany’s role in the war, he serves an invaluable purpose that almost makes up for the mustache-twirling quality of his petty villainy. The inevitability of the ending (including the loss of several characters) doesn’t change its poignancy, and the short chapters and slowly revealed back stories for each character guarantee the pages keep turning.
Heartbreaking, historical, and a little bit hopeful. (author’s note, research and sources, maps) (Historical fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-16030-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
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