A deceptively short read that casts needed light on a dark and dehumanizing practice.
Jacob (Le Journal de guerre d'Emilio, 2012, etc.) and Delezenne (The Little Yellow Bottle, 2010, etc.) team up for this fictionalized first-person account of human trafficking and forced labor.
Elfina lives on the margins in Paraguay. After her mother’s death, Elfina lives with her grandmother and younger brother in a small village while their father works on as a migrant farm worker in Brazil. An opportunity to continue her education in the capital of Asunción while living in the household of her Aunt Evoala sends Elfina away from home. Soon she is moving even farther away from her roots as Aunt Evoala’s family relocates to Montréal. The promise of an education is soon revealed to be a lie as Elfina stays home and is forced to work as a housekeeper and errand girl for the household while her cousins continue to go to school. Elfina summons the courage to escape the house and report what has been happening. Elfina’s courage, curiosity, and work ethic make her an admirable heroine; through her story, the statistics on human trafficking and forced child labor are given urgency and vibrancy that are difficult to ignore. Backmatter includes more information on the plight of children in similar situations, including further reading, though one wishes opportunities to help were also presented.
A deceptively short read that casts needed light on a dark and dehumanizing practice. (further reading, resources) (Graphic novel. 12-16)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4594-1419-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Characters to love, quips to snort at, insights to ponder: typical Spinelli.
For two teenagers, a small town’s annual cautionary ritual becomes both a life- and a death-changing experience.
On the second Wednesday in June, every eighth grader in Amber Springs, Pennsylvania, gets a black shirt, the name and picture of a teen killed the previous year through reckless behavior—and the silent treatment from everyone in town. Like many of his classmates, shy, self-conscious Robbie “Worm” Tarnauer has been looking forward to Dead Wed as a day for cutting loose rather than sober reflection…until he finds himself talking to a strange girl or, as she would have it, “spectral maiden,” only he can see or touch. Becca Finch is as surprised and confused as Worm, only remembering losing control of her car on an icy slope that past Christmas Eve. But being (or having been, anyway) a more outgoing sort, she sees their encounter as a sign that she’s got a mission. What follows, in a long conversational ramble through town and beyond, is a day at once ordinary yet rich in discovery and self-discovery—not just for Worm, but for Becca too, with a climactic twist that leaves both ready, or readier, for whatever may come next. Spinelli shines at setting a tongue-in-cheek tone for a tale with serious underpinnings, and as in Stargirl (2000), readers will be swept into the relationship that develops between this adolescent odd couple. Characters follow a White default.
Characters to love, quips to snort at, insights to ponder: typical Spinelli. (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-30667-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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