A sprightly tale of self-discovery that’s both affecting and endearing.
A school film gives a fifth-grade loner his chance to shine in this middle-grade novel.
Bernard Gawain doesn’t have many friends or much of a social life in Green Hill, New Hampshire. But he willingly takes the lead role for a project in Miss Sorenson’s class—a 10-minute film based on local legend Ramesses Ka. This gives him a shot at playing the hero (in this case, a mummy) for his crush, classmate Bridget Matsumoto, who’s a shoo-in for the other lead. It’s also the kind of B-movie material that Bernard loves and streams every Saturday on The Crummy Mummy Show. His overbearing mother, however, doesn’t approve of his watching said series or really anything that doesn’t help maintain his high GPA. In between trying to make sense of Bridget’s feelings for him (she calls him a string bean but then asks for double string beans at lunch), the goofy, charming Bernard wins a few friends. Now if he could just get his mom to let him be himself. Thomas Tosi’s upbeat story showcases the immensely likable Bernard, a smart, well-behaved kid who rolls with the punches. His mother’s relentless nature even sneaks educational bits into this novel: Bernard uses mom-assigned “vocabulary words” he’s consistently learning, like tome, scoundrel, and flibbertigibbet. The supporting cast is remarkable, from zany classmate Dewey, who occasionally bumps heads with Bernard, to Bridget’s little sister, Franny, who’s refreshingly honest, much to the chagrin of nearly everyone else. As he prepares for his upcoming role, Bernard often appears wrapped in mummy bandages, and it’s inspiring to watch the fifth grader uncover his inner fortitude while hiding inside a costume. Illustrator Meaghan Tosi’s artwork includes gleeful, comically expressive faces along with campy B-movie posters (a highlight being the Spanish-language version of The Aztec Mummy vs. the Cat People).
A sprightly tale of self-discovery that’s both affecting and endearing.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9781954782198
Page Count: 276
Publisher: Dooney Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid.
Black sixth-grader Jake Liston can only play one song on the piano. He can’t read music very well, and he can’t improvise. So how did Jake get accepted to the Music and Art Academy? He faked it.
Alongside an eclectic group of academy classmates, and with advice from his best friend, Jake tries to fit in at a school where things like garbage sculpting and writing art reviews of bird poop splatter are the norm. All is well until Jake discovers that the end-of-the-semester talent show is only two weeks away, and Jake is short one very important thing…talent. Or is he? It’s up to Jake to either find the talent that lies within or embarrass himself in front of the entire school. Light and humorous, with Knight’s illustrations adding to the fun, Jake’s story will likely appeal to many middle-grade readers, especially those who might otherwise be reluctant to pick up a book. While the artsy antics may be over-the-top at times, this is a story about something that most preteens can relate to: the struggle to find your authentic self. And in a world filled with books about wanting to fit in with the athletically gifted supercliques, this novel unabashedly celebrates the artsy crowd in all of its quirky, creative glory.
A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-553-52351-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
An inspirational exploration of caring among parent, teacher and child—one of Grimes’ best. (Poetry. 8-12)
In this delightfully spare narrative in verse, Coretta Scott King Award–winning Grimes examines a marriage’s end from the perspective of a child.
Set mostly in the wake of her father’s departure, only-child Gabby reveals with moving clarity in these short first-person poems the hardship she faces relocating with her mother and negotiating the further loss of a good friend while trying to adjust to a new school. Gabby has always been something of a dreamer, but when she begins study in her new class, she finds her thoughts straying even more. She admits: “Some words / sit still on the page / holding a story steady. / … / But other words have wings / that wake my daydreams. / They … / tickle my imagination, / and carry my thoughts away.” To illustrate Gabby’s inner wanderings, Grimes’ narrative breaks from the present into episodic bursts of vivid poetic reminiscence. Luckily, Gabby’s new teacher recognizes this inability to focus to be a coping mechanism and devises a daily activity designed to harness daydreaming’s creativity with a remarkably positive result for both Gabby and the entire class. Throughout this finely wrought narrative, Grimes’ free verse is tight, with perfect breaks of line and effortless shifts from reality to dream states and back.
An inspirational exploration of caring among parent, teacher and child—one of Grimes’ best. (Poetry. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59078-985-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Wordsong/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
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