Captivating and brief enough to be an easy sell for reluctant readers, this effort combines a snapshot of history with a...
Ely, a Seneca Indian, has been sent to a boarding school to learn the ways of white people in hopes that he can become an effective representative for his people.
It’s not an easy path to tread. He has to deal with ample prejudice in many forms: the less-troublesome lowered expectations of whites, the disdain and abuse of a group of unruly British soldiers, and rejection when he steps out of “his place” and shows interest in a white female classmate. Bruchac is especially effective when he depicts the period of time, around 1840, when Ely goes to live with an uncle who keeps his people’s old ways. The tale is related in simple, straightforward language that persuasively portrays the boy’s growing awareness of the complexity of his—and his people’s—position. A brief, informative afterward provides factual information about the real Ely Parker, who became an ambassador for the Senecas and helped prevent further loss of tribal land to greedy whites. Notably missing are suggested sources for further reading about the historical Parker; the depiction of his teen years is so intriguing that many readers will want to learn more.
Captivating and brief enough to be an easy sell for reluctant readers, this effort combines a snapshot of history with a skillful multicultural portrayal. (Historical fiction. 9-14)Pub Date: April 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-939053-10-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: 7th Generation
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
Well-educated American boys from privileged families have abundant options for college and career. For Chiko, their Burmese counterpart, there are no good choices. There is never enough to eat, and his family lives in constant fear of the military regime that has imprisoned Chiko’s physician father. Soon Chiko is commandeered by the army, trained to hunt down members of the Karenni ethnic minority. Tai, another “recruit,” uses his streetwise survival skills to help them both survive. Meanwhile, Tu Reh, a Karenni youth whose village was torched by the Burmese Army, has been chosen for his first military mission in his people’s resistance movement. How the boys meet and what comes of it is the crux of this multi-voiced novel. While Perkins doesn’t sugarcoat her subject—coming of age in a brutal, fascistic society—this is a gentle story with a lot of heart, suitable for younger readers than the subject matter might suggest. It answers the question, “What is it like to be a child soldier?” clearly, but with hope. (author’s note, historical note) (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58089-328-2
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
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