A deeply moving and powerful condemnation of war’s devastation.
Mathilde made a dangerous decision to free her Tyssian prisoner-of-war friend when she and the other children were fleeing Faetre at the conclusion of Beautiful Blue World (2016).
That choice has far-reaching consequences in this compelling sequel that begins with Mathilde desperately trying to catch up with the others in the island nation of Eilean, Sofarende’s only ally. There is constant danger for her and for those who risk themselves to help her. Upon rejoining her unit, she finds that her most cherished friendship is in danger of being severed forever. There are new allegiances and duties as the group attempts to gather mapping information that will allow their air force to bomb their own homeland in order to drive out the Tyssians. On a secret mission to Sofarende, Mathilde is made further aware of the pain and horrors of war. LaFleur remains true to the carefully constructed history, language, and characters of the white, alternate Europe-like world created in the earlier work. Mathilde is unforgettable as she narrates her tale in an uncensored stream of consciousness, ever vulnerable, brave, headstrong, compassionate, confused, and always trying to hold on to the values she holds dear. There can be no happy ending, but there is a kind of heart-wrenching separate peace that readers will find comforting.
A deeply moving and powerful condemnation of war’s devastation. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-101-93999-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious.
If you made a recording to be heard by the aliens who found the iPod, what would you record?
For 11-year-old Alex Petroski, it's easy. He records everything. He records the story of how he travels to New Mexico to a rocket festival with his dog, Carl Sagan, and his rocket. He records finding out that a man with the same name and birthday as his dead father has an address in Las Vegas. He records eating at Johnny Rockets for the first time with his new friends, who are giving him a ride to find his dead father (who might not be dead!), and losing Carl Sagan in the wilds of Las Vegas, and discovering he has a half sister. He even records his own awful accident. Cheng delivers a sweet, soulful debut novel with a brilliant, refreshing structure. His characters manage to come alive through the “transcript” of Alex’s iPod recording, an odd medium that sounds like it would be confusing but really works. Taking inspiration from the Voyager Golden Record released to space in 1977, Alex, who explains he has “light brown skin,” records all the important moments of a journey that takes him from a family of two to a family of plenty.
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-18637-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
A captivating book situated in present-day discourse around the refugee crisis, featuring two boys who stand by their high...
Two parallel stories, one of a Syrian boy from Aleppo fleeing war, and another of a white American boy, son of a NATO contractor, dealing with the challenges of growing up, intersect at a house in Brussels.
Ahmed lost his father while crossing the Mediterranean. Alone and broke in Europe, he takes things into his own hands to get to safety but ends up having to hide in the basement of a residential house. After months of hiding, he is discovered by Max, a boy of similar age and parallel high integrity and courage, who is experiencing his own set of troubles learning a new language, moving to a new country, and being teased at school. In an unexpected turn of events, the two boys and their new friends Farah, a Muslim Belgian girl, and Oscar, a white Belgian boy, successfully scheme for Ahmed to go to school while he remains in hiding the rest of the time. What is at stake for Ahmed is immense, and so is the risk to everyone involved. Marsh invites art and history to motivate her protagonists, drawing parallels to gentiles who protected Jews fleeing Nazi terror and citing present-day political news. This well-crafted and suspenseful novel touches on the topics of refugees and immigrant integration, terrorism, Islam, Islamophobia, and the Syrian war with sensitivity and grace.
A captivating book situated in present-day discourse around the refugee crisis, featuring two boys who stand by their high values in the face of grave risk and succeed in drawing goodwill from others. (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-30757-6
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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