Life is difficult and puzzling for Rachel, with an identical twin sister, Rebecca, who outshines her in every way. Rachel’s eclectic family consists of her traveling-salesman father, fashion-diva mother and doddery grandparents, who serve the same awful tasting honey cake each Sunday. Constantly in the shadow of her high-achieving sister, Rachel laments her feelings of inadequacy and theorizes about why her father loves her sister best, why Rebecca hates her and why her luck is so poor that she not only winds up with the worst teacher in school but constantly manages to cause trouble for Rebecca and herself. Rubel has moved from her multifaceted informational book about twins, Twice as Nice, into a fictitious scenario told from the perspective of an empathetic underdog in a voice filled with matter-of-fact resignation and some deserved angst. A twin herself, Rubel places her story in her 1960s Miami and has created a lovable if not endearing character amid the bizarre and non-supportive vibes of an extended family. Ultimately, the introduction of a sensitive teacher in Hebrew School brings light to a little girl’s true talent, her artistic flair and subsequent self-confidence. Rubel’s own signature quirky pen-and-ink drawings round out the Floridian and American-Jewish milieu. (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: May 2, 2006
ISBN: 0-374-33611-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Told from the point of view of two warring siblings, this could have been an engaging first chapter book. Unfortunately, the length makes it less likely to appeal to the intended audience. Jessie and Evan are usually good friends as well as sister and brother. But the news that bright Jessie will be skipping a grade to join Evan’s fourth-grade class creates tension. Evan believes himself to be less than clever; Jessie’s emotional maturity doesn’t quite measure up to her intelligence. Rivalry and misunderstandings grow as the two compete to earn the most money in the waning days of summer. The plot rolls along smoothly and readers will be able to both follow the action and feel superior to both main characters as their motivations and misconceptions are clearly displayed. Indeed, a bit more subtlety in characterization might have strengthened the book’s appeal. The final resolution is not entirely believable, but the emphasis on cooperation and understanding is clear. Earnest and potentially successful, but just misses the mark. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 23, 2007
ISBN: 0-618-75043-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Despite its lackluster execution, this story’s simple premise and basic vocabulary make it suitable for younger readers...
From the author of the Animorphs series comes this earnest novel in verse about an orphaned Sudanese war refugee with a passion for cows, who has resettled in Minnesota with relatives.
Arriving in winter, Kek spots a cow that reminds him of his father’s herd, a familiar sight in an alien world. Later he returns with Hannah, a friendly foster child, and talks the cow’s owner into hiring him to look after it. When the owner plans to sell the cow, Kek becomes despondent. Full of wide-eyed amazement and unalloyed enthusiasm for all things American, Kek is a generic—bordering on insulting—stereotype. His tribe, culture and language are never identified; personal details, such as appearance and age, are vague or omitted. Lacking the quirks and foibles that bring characters to life, Kek seems more a composite of traits designed to instruct readers than an engaging individual in his own right.
Despite its lackluster execution, this story’s simple premise and basic vocabulary make it suitable for younger readers interested in the plight of war refugees. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-312-36765-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2007
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