A keen, affecting portrayal of the cycle of life.
A young girl must say goodbye to her ailing beloved grandmother in Keating’s middle-grade novel.
It’s only been three years since Jess Alexander lost her father. Now, the 10-year-old and her mother learn that her maternal grandmother has terminal cancer. The two make their annual trip up North from Florida to Maine to visit Grandma for Christmas. This year, Jess plans to make the most of it, compiling a “must-do list” complete with Christmas songs, a gingerbread house, and never-ending snow angels. All the while, she hears of people receiving apparent signs that their lost loved ones are watching over them—so why hasn’t there been a sign from her late dad, and will Grandma watch over Jess after she’s gone? Although she treasures the chance to say goodbye to Grandma, it doesn’t make losing her any easier. Keating’s short tale isn’t as melancholic as it may sound; Grandma displays a buoyancy that doesn’t falter, even when her condition worsens (“Tomorrow has its own worries, and we are not going to focus on them. We are going to focus on living, not dying”). There are plenty of upbeat moments, from the news of unexpected new life to the possibility of Jess’ mom dating again (with Grandma and Jess’ encouragement). The author, whose unadorned but sharp prose deftly shapes the 10-year-old’s introspective narration, showcases healthy ways to grieve: Jess, her mom, and Grandma not only accept that this Christmas will be their last together but also freely discuss what life will be like after Grandma dies. Jess fully embraces hope and ponders how she, like her mother and grandmother, can protect the family she may one day have; her relationship with Sadie Bug, the chocolate lab she adores, is a great start.
A keen, affecting portrayal of the cycle of life.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781957656816
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Monarch Educational Services, L.L.C.
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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