Uneven in presentation yet will still appeal to, inform, and inspire those aspiring to a career in films.
O’Meara, whose adult biography, The Lady From the Black Lagoon (2019), tackled misogyny in Hollywood, invites would-be filmmakers to learn more about the industry.
Ever wonder why the closing credits of a film are so long? It takes many people to make a movie. Divided into four sections—development, preproduction, production, and postproduction—this book centers women by exclusively using she/her as generic pronouns while describing the work of hypothetical people holding various jobs (screenwriter, editor, sound mixer, etc.) and by highlighting specific women in the industry (director Greta Gerwig, composer Angela Morley). The breadth of information is impressive and will offer readers a greater understanding of and appreciation for the work that goes into filmmaking as well as the skills required for each role. As readers follow the creation of a fictional film called Sasha Versus Zombies, they are prompted to make choices—an addition that allows young people to see the process in action but at times feels like an unnecessary gimmick. The interactive elements and the writing style skew young, yet the career-oriented angle and several references to mature-rated media feel better suited for teens, making the book’s intended audience feel unclear. Still, the material is solid; future filmmakers will find this a good starting point. Orange- and purple-hued illustrations depict diverse women.
Uneven in presentation yet will still appeal to, inform, and inspire those aspiring to a career in films. (glossary, recommended films made by women, resources) (Nonfiction. 11-16)Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9780762478989
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
Hockey was born in Canada, so it comes as a shock to learn that the first Inuit to play in the National Hockey League was Jordin Tootoo, who made it to the Nashville Predators in 2003. This profile comes as a salubrious corrective. Florence tracks Tootoo’s life from its start up near the Arctic Circle—he grew up in a remote community that still lives by hunting and fishing (“For us, fast food is when you shoot an animal and eat it right there”) and where you could skate on the frozen land for half of the year—and then through the years of league play in preparation for a professional career. Readers get a clear idea of how difficult it can be to be groomed for the NHL: Tootoo left home at 14 to pursue his dream—especially difficult on this tight-knit family—and had to contend with racism and the suicide of his much-loved older brother at a brutally young age. His story unfolds in darting, often concussive sentences that mimic the tempo of a hockey game as well as Tootoo’s agitational, bang-’em-up style. Like her subject, the author doesn’t pull many punches in Tootoo’s rousing, rather hard-bitten tale, which, thankfully, has a storybook ending aimed directly at teenage-boy reluctant readers. (Biography. 11-15)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55277-529-5
Page Count: 112
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In a helter-skelter scrapbook format, Cleare, a veteran mountaineer, profiles five of the world’s most renowned mountains—K2, the Eiger, the Matterhorn, Everest and Mount McKinley—and identifies some of the major historical expeditions to their summits. Top-to-bottom views of each peak are provided via single, double or (for Everest) wall-poster-sized triple foldouts. Along with those, dozens of smaller captioned photos, maps, images or realistic reconstructions depict noted climbers of the past, local wildlife, old- and new-style climbing gear, wind and weather patterns, climbers’ camps, glaciers and rugged landscapes. Likewise, each peak receives an introductory passage of dramatic prose (“Mount McKinley is a colossal, icy complex of ridges, spurs, buttresses, and hanging glaciers,” forming “a crucible of particularly evil weather”). This is accompanied by assemblages of captions and commentary in smaller type that detail its challenges and the often-unhappy history of climbers who faced them. The level of detail is specific enough to include views and comparisons of the actual routes up each mountain, and readers are expected to be clear on the difference between a cirque and a serac, or a “technical” and a “nontechnical” climb. Armchair climbers who can weather the random-feeling arrangement of pictures and the overall absence of narrative flow are in for thrills. (Informational browsing item. 11-13)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7534-6573-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Kingfisher
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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