Accessible and engaging, this novel shines as an exceptional tale of self-acceptance and understanding.
A seventh grader’s Chinese and Muslim identities take center stage as she navigates friendship tensions and self-acceptance.
Sophie Hu grapples with the meaning of embracing her faith when her family members, who are Hui, follow only minimal Islamic practices: “Other than not eating pork, what does it mean that I’m Muslim?” She struggles when her bisexual best friend, Katie, forms new friendships in the school’s LGBTQ+ club. Their bond is further tested during the Rainbow Fair, a major middle school cultural event. Katie’s organizing an LGBTQ+ booth, and a teacher unexpectedly tasks Sophie with creating a Muslim one: “The only thing worse than being the school’s only Muslim is being the school’s inauthentic Muslim.” The arrival of Turkish American transfer student Anna Demir, a fellow Muslim, helps Sophie see that there isn’t just one way to embody one’s faith, sparking a journey of self-discovery. Ultimately, Sophie embraces her layered heritage, opens conversations about her family’s history (her parents were born in Taiwan), and helps others celebrate their authentic selves. Ma deftly examines the intersectionality of identity with nuance and authenticity. Sophie’s growth—recognizing that her family’s approach to Islam doesn’t invalidate their faith—adds depth to the narrative. Meanwhile, her evolving friendship with Katie reflects the natural growing pains of middle school relationships. Ma offers a rich, relatable, and inclusive story that’s perfect for young readers grappling with their own questions of belonging.
Accessible and engaging, this novel shines as an exceptional tale of self-acceptance and understanding. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780063339521
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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