Pitch-perfect middle-school milieu and enough Star Wars references (and laughs) to satisfy fans and win new ones.
Can tiny paper guru Origami Yoda save nerdy Dwight (from whose finger Yoda pontificates) from Principal Rabbski’s unfounded suspension (and worse)?
Last year, the sixth graders of McQuarrie Middle School compiled a case file to decide whether Origami Yoda was real or just Dwight wiggling his paper-clad finger and talking in a Yoda voice; he seemed to be the real deal and helped a lot of students out. Unfortunately, on the first day of seventh grade, ever-skeptical Harvey appears with an origami Darth Vader on his finger bent on dispensing the gospel of the Dark Side…well, actually he is still trying to get everyone to admit Origami Yoda’s a total scam. Is Darth Paper more powerful than Origami Yoda? When Jen asks Origami Yoda for advice about cheerleading tryouts and he says, “Zero Hour comes. Prepare to meet your doom!”, Principal Rabbski suspends Dwight for threatening behavior and recommends he be sent to CREF, the Correctional and Remedial Education Facility. Tommy plans to take this new case file, complete with negative comments from Harvey and illustrations from Kellen, to the school board to save his friend. Angleberger’s just-as-funny follow-up to The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (2010) delves deeper into the mystery of the helpful paper Yoda in a satisfying tale of friendship and just resistance to authority.
Pitch-perfect middle-school milieu and enough Star Wars references (and laughs) to satisfy fans and win new ones. (paper-folding instructions) (Graphic hybrid fiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0027-9
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
After Castro’s takeover, nine-year-old Julian and his older brothers are sent away by their fearful parents via “Operation Pedro Pan” to a camp in Miami for Cuban-exile children. Here he discovers that a ruthless bully has essentially been put in charge. Julian is quicker-witted than his brothers or anyone else ever imagined, though, and with his inherent smarts, developing maturity and the help of child and adult friends, he learns to navigate the dynamics of the camp and surroundings and grows from the former baby of the family to independence and self-confidence. A daring rescue mission at the end of the novel will have readers rooting for Julian even as it opens his family’s eyes to his courage and resourcefulness. This autobiographical novel is a well-meaning, fast-paced and often exciting read, though at times the writing feels choppy. It will introduce readers to a not-so-distant period whose echoes are still felt today and inspire admiration for young people who had to be brave despite frightening and lonely odds. (Historical fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59643-168-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
The inevitable go-to for Percy’s legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories.
Percy Jackson takes a break from adventuring to serve up the Greek gods like flapjacks at a church breakfast.
Percy is on form as he debriefs readers concerning Chaos, Gaea, Ouranos and Pontus, Dionysus, Ariadne and Persephone, all in his dude’s patter: “He’d forgotten how beautiful Gaea could be when she wasn’t all yelling up in his face.” Here they are, all 12 Olympians, plus many various offspring and associates: the gold standard of dysfunctional families, whom Percy plays like a lute, sometimes lyrically, sometimes with a more sardonic air. Percy’s gift, which is no great secret, is to breathe new life into the gods. Closest attention is paid to the Olympians, but Riordan has a sure touch when it comes to fitting much into a small space—as does Rocco’s artwork, which smokes and writhes on the page as if hit by lightning—so readers will also meet Makaria, “goddess of blessed peaceful deaths,” and the Theban Teiresias, who accidentally sees Athena bathing. She blinds him but also gives him the ability to understand the language of birds. The atmosphere crackles and then dissolves, again and again: “He could even send the Furies after living people if they committed a truly horrific crime—like killing a family member, desecrating a temple, or singing Journey songs on karaoke night.”
The inevitable go-to for Percy’s legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories. (Mythology. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-8364-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
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