Though clearly well-intentioned, this middle-grade novel seems unlikely to find an enthusiastic audience.
Fifth-grader Penelope Bach records her thoughts and experiences in a series of letters to her unborn sibling.
Penny, a white girl being raised by two mothers in Oakland, California, tracks the performance of her hometown basketball team, anguishes over a school assignment, struggles with changing friendships, and records the progress of her mother’s pregnancy. As the months pass, she learns a lot about the Ohlone, the local Native American tribe with which her nonbiological mother, Sammy, is affiliated, while simultaneously trying to trace her biological parents’ family histories. She also deals with prejudice because of her two moms and sees firsthand the racism that her Jamaican best friend, Gabby, and Gabby’s older brother (Penny’s secret crush) face. While Rocklin tackles important and topical issues, Penny’s voice and characterization are underdeveloped and thus overwhelmed by the messages she delivers. Other characters are similarly flat, making it difficult to become invested in their interactions, and dialogue is often stilted. Limited description keeps the setting from coming to life, while emotions and reactions are listed rather than evoked. Knisley’s black-and-white spot drawings range from depictions of the developing fetus to Penny’s teacher’s novelty ties. Many add humor and interest but can’t compensate for the text’s flaws.
Though clearly well-intentioned, this middle-grade novel seems unlikely to find an enthusiastic audience. (author’s note, bibliography, list of organizations) (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: March 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2861-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A satisfying, winning read.
Nick Hall is a bright eighth-grader who would rather do anything other than pay attention in class.
Instead he daydreams about soccer, a girl he likes, and an upcoming soccer tournament. His linguistics-professor father carefully watches his educational progress, requiring extra reading and word study, much to Nick’s chagrin and protest. Fortunately, his best friend, Coby, shares his passion for soccer—and, sadly, the unwanted attention of twin bullies in their school. Nick senses something is going on with his parents, but their announcement that they are separating is an unexpected blow: “it’s like a bombshell / drops / right in the center / of your heart / and it splatters / all across your life.” The stress leads to counseling, and his life is further complicated by injury and emergency surgery. His soccer dream derailed, Nick turns to the books he has avoided and finds more than he expected. Alexander’s highly anticipated follow-up to Newbery-winning The Crossover is a reflective narrative, with little of the first book’s explosive energy. What the mostly free-verse novel does have is a likable protagonist, great wordplay, solid teen and adult secondary characters, and a clear picture of the challenges young people face when self-identity clashes with parental expectations. The soccer scenes are vivid and will make readers wish for more, but the depiction of Nick as he unlocks his inner reader is smooth and believable.
A satisfying, winning read. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-57098-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
On equal footing with a garden-variety potato.
The new kid in school endures becoming the school mascot.
Ben Hardy has never cared for potatoes, and this distaste has become a barrier to adjusting to life in his new Idaho town. His school’s mascot is the Spud, and after a series of misfortunes, Ben is enlisted to don the potato costume and cheer on his school’s team. Ben balances his duties as a life-sized potato against his desperate desire to hide the fact that he’s the dork in the suit. After all, his cute new crush, Jayla, wouldn’t be too impressed to discover Ben’s secret. The ensuing novel is a fairly boilerplate middle–grade narrative: snarky tween protagonist, the crush that isn’t quite what she seems, and a pair of best friends that have more going on than our hero initially believes. The author keeps the novel moving quickly, pushing forward with witty asides and narrative momentum so fast that readers won’t really mind that the plot’s spine is one they’ve encountered many times before. Once finished, readers will feel little resonance and move on to the next book in their to-read piles, but in the moment the novel is pleasant enough. Ben, Jayla, and Ben’s friend Hunter are white while Ellie, Ben’s other good pal, is Latina.
On equal footing with a garden-variety potato. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-11866-5
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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