While some scenes will be tear-jerkers for sure, Madison’s (and Torres’) compassion for voiceless dogs may inspire action in...
In Torres’ second entry in her middle-grade Project Madison series (Madison Morgan: When Dogs Blog, 2012), middle schooler Madison uncovers a dogfighting ring in her neighborhood—and learns more about her special empathic gift.
Madison Morgan loves dogs. She volunteers at her late mother’s friend Netta’s shelter, she’s starting up a dog-walking business with her friend Cooper, and she’s always on the lookout for mistreated animals. It’s easier for her than for most because she has a psychic connection with dogs; she can feel their thoughts, experience their emotions. Sometimes this is overwhelming, as with poor sick Millie, a skinny greyhound she sees chained outside with no food and dirty water. While at first she’s furious with Ben, Millie’s owner, she realizes there’s more to his story. At the same time, she’s training puppy Aura to be a service dog, making friends with Jonah, the Native American boy whose family has moved in nearby, and putting together clues to a new horror: signs of dogfighting in her town. She learns more than she ever wanted to know about the subject, including the existence of “[b]ait dogs,” given to fighting dogs simply to be wounded in practice. And Jonah’s uncle is helping her to understand her connection to the animal world. Torres tackles difficult animal-welfare subjects through Madison’s voice, which is largely engaging and believable (with the exception of the use of hashtags, which don’t quite work here). Madison’s love of dogs defines her, and her curiosity and bravery are winning. Debut illustrators Moreano and Stoner provide occasional pictures, whose strong black outlines and gray shading have a cartoonish charm. Torres ably distinguishes each character in her wide cast, including Madison’s widowed stepfather, Henry; Netta; Cooper; Jonah and his uncle; troubled bully Donald; and brusque but kind lawyer Mel, the owner of a giant Great Pyrenees named Puffin.
While some scenes will be tear-jerkers for sure, Madison’s (and Torres’) compassion for voiceless dogs may inspire action in her animal-loving readers.Pub Date: April 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0615858326
Page Count: 268
Publisher: Legacy Media Press
Review Posted Online: July 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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