This riveting account will hold readers spellbound.
A multilayered account of the effort to save the Lipizzaner horses of Vienna during World War II.
The famed Spanish Riding School of Vienna was named after the Spanish ancestors of the Lipizzaner breed. The beautiful white horses perform the intricate, difficult, balletic movements of dressage, an intensive riding discipline in which rider and horse must be in perfect communication and that takes years to master. But when the Second World War broke out, the horses—and, indeed, the existence of the then nearly 400-year-old school itself—were in danger. After the Germans annexed Austria, and the Allies subsequently began bombing Vienna, the riding school’s director, Alois Podhajsky, knew that their days were numbered and that he had to get the beloved horses to safety. While the gripping story of the race to save the horses through Operation Cowboy is the main storyline, this narrative goes much further, providing background on the fascinating Podhajsky, the horrific oppression and murder of Jews and other marginalized people, and the roles of Black GIs and members of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in the war zone. “Virtual field trips” throughout the book expand readers’ experiences; Hopkinson wisely advises: “If a link doesn’t work, please use it as an opportunity to practice your research skills. Need help with a search? Ask a librarian—that’s what I do.” Exquisite black-and-white photos enrich the text.
This riveting account will hold readers spellbound. (author’s note, cast list, glossary, timeline, bibliography, source notes, picture credits, index) (Nonfiction. 8-13)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781338882339
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic Focus
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy.
Through the author’s own childhood diary entries, a seventh grader details her inner life before and after 9/11.
Alyssa’s diary entries start in September 2000, in the first week of her seventh grade year. She’s 11 and dealing with typical preteen concerns—popularity and anxiety about grades—along with other things more particular to her own life. She’s shuffling between Queens and Manhattan to share time between her divorced parents and struggling with thick facial hair and classmates who make her feel like she’s “not a whole person” due to her mixed White and Puerto Rican heritage. Alyssa is endlessly earnest and awkward as she works up the courage to talk to her crush, Alejandro; gushes about her dreams of becoming a shoe designer; and tries to solve her burgeoning unibrow problem. The diaries also have a darker side, as a sense of impending doom builds as the entries approach 9/11, especially because Alyssa’s father works in finance in the World Trade Center. As a number of the diary entries are taken directly from the author’s originals, they effortlessly capture the loud, confusing feelings middle school brings out. The artwork, in its muted but effective periwinkle tones, lends a satisfying layer to the diary’s accessible and delightful format.
An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy. (author's note) (Graphic memoir. 8-13)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-77427-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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