A must-read distinguished by its powerful plot and poignant writing.
In this novel inspired by a true account of French Resistance during World War II, a courageous 11-year-old Muslim girl joins the effort to save lives.
Safiyyah has an idyllic life in the Grand Mosque of Paris, where her father works and her family lives. Her existence revolves around browsing maps in her beloved library and spending Saturday afternoons with best friend Isabelle. But on the cusp of the Nazi invasion, everything is about to change. Safiyyah’s Algerian Muslim identity affords her an element of safety, but this fiercely brave girl internalizes the injustices perpetrated on her community—especially her Jewish friends and neighbors—and vows to help any way she can. Uncovering the secrets of her father’s recent strange behavior will force Safiyyah to summon incredible courage to support the Resistance and avoid revealing anything that would put lives at risk. Khan expertly weaves an engaging story filled with compassion, bravery, and commitment to one’s neighbors while addressing difficult truths and the ugly face of war in an informative yet still age-appropriate way. Many of the well-developed characters, such as Safiyyah and her family, are fictitious; others, including the mosque’s rector and imam, are real historical figures from an underrepresented episode in history who were integral to the mosque’s rescue of between 500 and 1,700 Jews. The book’s messages of interfaith cooperation and respect for human dignity are timely and compelling.
A must-read distinguished by its powerful plot and poignant writing. (glossary, historical note) (Historical fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780063351868
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Allida/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel.
Sandy and his family, Japanese Canadians, experience hatred and incarceration during World War II.
Sandy Saito loves baseball, and the Vancouver Asahi ballplayers are his heroes. But when they lose in the 1941 semifinals, Sandy’s dad calls it a bad omen. Sure enough, in December 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor in the U.S. The Canadian government begins to ban Japanese people from certain areas, moving them to “dormitories” and setting a curfew. Sandy wants to spend time with his father, but as a doctor, his dad is busy, often sneaking out past curfew to work. One night Papa is taken to “where he [is] needed most,” and the family is forced into an internment camp. Life at the camp isn’t easy, and even with some of the Asahi players playing ball there, it just isn’t the same. Trying to understand and find joy again, Sandy struggles with his new reality and relationship with his father. Based on the true experiences of Japanese Canadians and the Vancouver Asahi team, this graphic novel is a glimpse of how their lives were affected by WWII. The end is a bit abrupt, but it’s still an inspiring and sweet look at how baseball helped them through hardship. The illustrations are all in a sepia tone, giving it an antique look and conveying the emotions and struggles. None of the illustrations of their experiences are overly graphic, making it a good introduction to this upsetting topic for middle-grade readers.
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel. (afterword, further resources) (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0334-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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