The mission: Depose the principal without divisions among friends. When the unconventionally named Clouds McFadden arrives as a new student at Laverton Middle School, he recruits Chris Stern and several other eighth-graders in a plot to stand up to the teachers and administrators who abuse their positions of authority. Clouds’s increasingly autocratic behavior soon motivates Chris to research his role model, “Lenon” (Chris’s yearlong misconstruing of Lenin), leaving Chris to choose between peaceful change and radical revolution. Beam’s year of teaching eighth grade helps him to accurately portray the constantly shifting attitudes and friendships that comprise the middle-school experience. Despite building a strong relationship with readers through his fumbling relationship with Susan, his sporadic interest in class and his honest relationship with his parents, however, Chris never develops into a fully realized character. Clouds’s unsatisfying personality gaps are easier to fill in, though the divided-family dynamic feels cheap. Though the narrative is mediocre, the theme of peaceful conflict resolution is important in today’s acrimonious environment. (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-525-47998-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2008
Fans of Cameron’s Huey and Julian stories (More Stories Huey Tells, 1997, etc.) are in for a treat as Gloria, their friend from those tales, gets a book of her own and graciously allows the two brothers to share it . In the first tale, Gloria makes a wonderful card for her mother, but the wind blows it away and it ends up in the cage of a cantankerous parrot. Thanks to Mr. Bates, Huey and Julian’s dad, the day is saved, as is the burgeoning friendship that Gloria and the boys have struck up with new neighbor Latisha in the story, “The Promise.” In another story, Gloria has to deal with a huge problem—fractions—and this time it’s her dad who helps her through it. Mr. Bates proves helpful again when the group trains an “obsessed” puppy, while Gloria’s mother is supportive when Gloria is unintentionally hurt by her three best friends. The stories are warm and funny, as Gloria, a spunky kid who gets into some strange predicaments, finds out that her friends and wise, loving adults are good to have around when trouble beckons. Great fun, with subtly placed, positive messages that never take center stage. (b&w illustrations) (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: March 9, 2000
ISBN: 0-374-32670-3
Page Count: 93
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
A skirmish over a favorite stuffed rabbit nearly destroys a friendship and the toy itself, but well-timed physical and emotional bandaging saves the day. When a little boy moves in next door to a little girl they quickly becomes friends and start sharing toys. This works well for cars, trucks, bears, and balls, but when the boy shows up with a new stuffed rabbit, cooperation goes out the window. In the ensuing tug-of-rabbit, each child yanks on the poor bunny’s ears until the stitching gives way. Figuring out a way to repair the rabbit also eventually patches up the friendship. Minor battles rage in homes and preschools everywhere, so children and adults alike will appreciate this subtle example of a peaceful resolution to toy disputes. Jahn-Clough’s pleasantly stubby children convey both healthy loud-mouthed anger and substantial charm. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-93545-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
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