paper 0-517-70936-8 A terribly earnest collection of advice that ranges from preachy to peachy. Bolden (And Not Afraid to Dare, p. 54, etc.) has chosen her contributors well in this assembly of essays, short fiction, poems, and comics: It includes pieces by such contemporary figures as Natalie Merchant, Tabitha Soren, Wendy Wasserstein, and teen diarist Latoya Hunter. Most of them resemble commencement addresses more than words intended for print, and in fact, Sigourney Weaver’s piece is just such an address. Some pieces are moving and empowering: Lynda Barry’s comic “Mean Girls Are Real” is painfully hilarious but very strong; basketball star Rebecca Lobo’s “Get a Game Plan!” is unvarnished but heartfelt; linguist Deborah Tannen offers wisdom about the different ways boys and girls communicate. The whole, however, is a little wearing, as if a favorite, well-intentioned aunt is nattering on too long. Bolden mentions in the introduction her wish that a book similar to this one had existed when she was 12; of the few available now, Mavis Jukes’s It’s a Girl Thing (1996, not reviewed) and Judith Harlan’s Girl Talk (1997) offer more. (Anthology. 11-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-517-70999-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Can too much information give readers intellectual indigestion? When is it better to graze through a book rather than consuming it in one sitting? Is it possible to make good-for-you information as delicious as (guilty) pleasure reading? The adapted version of Hungry Planet: What the World Eats (2005) raises all of these questions. Intended to inform middle-schoolers of the wide variety of food traditions as well as discrepancies in access to adequate nutrition, this collection of photos, essays and statistics will require thoughtful concentration. Adapted and abridged text, a larger font size, the addition of small maps and basic facts about each country and the deletion of some photos that might have been judged inappropriate or disturbing help to make the wealth of information accessible to this audience. The plentiful photos are fascinating, offering both intimate glimpses of family life and panoramic views of other lands. Whether used for research or received as a gift from socially conscious adults, this version offers children plenty to chew over—but it’ll take them some time to truly digest. (Nonfiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-58246-246-2
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Tricycle
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2008
After years of normal living, a teenager learns he has epilepsy and has to cope not just with the disease, but with the side effects, including the hostility of his peers. High schooler Lefty has an epileptic seizure while hanging out with his best friend, Reuben, and must subsequently learn to live with the disease, deal with medication, make lifestyle changes, overcome his own fear, as well as that of family and friends, and face his peers. What little action there is in this marathon talkfest concerns Lefty and his friends (including his 12-year-old brother) smoking and drinking. In his tough, working-class neighborhood this is considered perfectly normal, and the author never counters that. Most of readers’ efforts may be spent trying to keep track of the many characters: Lefty’s friends and brothers, his mother’s tough-as-nails girlfriends, neighbors, classmates, medical personnel, etc. When Lefty, a budding writer, pens an imaginary dialogue between two elderly neighbors and a would-be mugger, the story picks up; otherwise this is a flat and emotionally distant bull session that, though extended, leads nowhere. (Fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2000
ISBN: 1-55143-166-1
Page Count: 215
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
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