by Katy Kelly & illustrated by Adam Rex ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 14, 2004
Bouncier than a bowl of Jell-O, innately bubbly Lucy Rose, eight, undergoes a tremendous struggle; her parents have separated and the resulting upheaval leaves her no comfort zone. Her inherently positive attitude and family’s nurturing care, revealed in Kelly’s deft use of first-person narrative, shows how a sparkling personality copes with serious as well as marginal problems such as obnoxious boys in her new school. Lucy Rose does not always know what her observations of family and friends mean, but between the lines, readers can see what she does not: how her parents are coping with their new arrangement while trying to keep life as normal as possible for their daughter or just how truthful the responses from her advice-columnist grandmother are. Lucy Rose’s mental growth is perceptible; she develops into her new situation, learns to set aside her longing for the past, and builds a new life, all in a text that delivers these mature and complex concepts simply enough for her young audience, an amazing feat for any author, especially in a debut. Overall, the wonder is that third-grade vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the depth of Lucy Rose’s hard-won growth. (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2004
ISBN: 0-385-73203-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2004
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by Katy Kelly ; illustrated by Gillian Johnson
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by Jacqueline Davies ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 23, 2007
Told from the point of view of two warring siblings, this could have been an engaging first chapter book. Unfortunately, the length makes it less likely to appeal to the intended audience. Jessie and Evan are usually good friends as well as sister and brother. But the news that bright Jessie will be skipping a grade to join Evan’s fourth-grade class creates tension. Evan believes himself to be less than clever; Jessie’s emotional maturity doesn’t quite measure up to her intelligence. Rivalry and misunderstandings grow as the two compete to earn the most money in the waning days of summer. The plot rolls along smoothly and readers will be able to both follow the action and feel superior to both main characters as their motivations and misconceptions are clearly displayed. Indeed, a bit more subtlety in characterization might have strengthened the book’s appeal. The final resolution is not entirely believable, but the emphasis on cooperation and understanding is clear. Earnest and potentially successful, but just misses the mark. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 23, 2007
ISBN: 0-618-75043-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
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by Jacqueline Davies ; illustrated by Cara Llewellyn
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by Jacqueline Davies ; illustrated by Julia Castaño
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by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 3, 2017
Medically, both squicky and hopeful; emotionally, unbelievably squeaky-clean.
A 12-year-old copes with a brain tumor.
Maddie likes potatoes and fake mustaches. Kids at school are nice (except one whom readers will see instantly is a bully); soon they’ll get to perform Shakespeare scenes in a unit they’ve all been looking forward to. But recent dysfunctions in Maddie’s arm and leg mean, stunningly, that she has a brain tumor. She has two surgeries, the first successful, the second taking place after the book’s end, leaving readers hanging. The tumor’s not malignant, but it—or the surgeries—could cause sight loss, personality change, or death. The descriptions of surgery aren’t for the faint of heart. The authors—parents of a real-life Maddie who really had a brain tumor—imbue fictional Maddie’s first-person narration with quirky turns of phrase (“For the love of potatoes!”) and whimsy (she imagines her medical battles as epic fantasy fights and pretends MRI stands for Mustard Rat from Indiana or Mustaches Rock Importantly), but they also portray her as a model sick kid. She’s frightened but never acts out, snaps, or resists. Her most frequent commentary about the tumor, having her skull opened, and the possibility of death is “Boo” or “Super boo.” She even shoulders the bully’s redemption. Maddie and most characters are white; one cringe-inducing hallucinatory surgery dream involves “chanting island natives” and a “witch doctor lady.”
Medically, both squicky and hopeful; emotionally, unbelievably squeaky-clean. (authors’ note, discussion questions) (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62972-330-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
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