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EMERGENCY!

This action-packed companion to Fire! (1998) provides an introduction to the personnel, special vehicles, and equipment that are a part of responses to 911 calls for medical emergencies. Each spread includes nearly a dozen full-color close-up photographs with a brief text describing how the tools are used. A spread on “Vital Signs” has a discussion of how emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or emergency room team members check for pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and temperature, and the equipment they use. Other spreads cover the inside of an ambulance, rescue truck, med-evac helicopter, and an operating room. Masoff offers a brief timeline of milestones in medicine, describes what if feels like to be part of the emergency team, suggests ten things readers can do to be prepared for emergencies, and includes places to write for more information. Packed with facts, this title has broad appeal, capturing the pace of emergency work in a visually appealing package. (bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-590-97898-5

Page Count: 56

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1998

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ETTA INVINCIBLE

This hopeful adventure leaves an indelible mark.

A rare disorder elicits fear in a young Black artist with a unique sense of the world.

Seventh grader Etta’s Quiet Days are becoming more frequent and, frankly, irritating since her “maybe-diagnosis” of Ménière’s disease in both her ears. Her parents are monitoring her diet, vigilant about stressors, and learning ASL. In contrast to Etta’s Loud Days, not being able to hear sometimes makes it easier to focus on her comic book about Invincible Girl (the novel includes some enticing panels featuring Etta’s work). But, as peculiar weather patterns begin to overwhelm her Chicago neighborhood and exacerbate her allergies, the corresponding tinnitus and vertigo as well as the increased anxiety from everyone around her leave Etta feeling hopeless. Even meeting Eleazar, an artsy new Colombian friend with an adorable goldendoodle, leads to doubts about her abilities to communicate—Eleazar is also still learning English—and her future with Ménière’s. When Eleazar’s dog gets lost on a magical train that is linked to the weird weather, the two must traverse the train cars, solve mysteries, and overcome their fears to fix what’s broken and heal what can’t be fixed. Just like the magical challenges, their journey yields great emotional rewards. Even as Etta and Eleazar make new connections, losses—of family, hearing, and home—are somber reminders of life’s challenges. With snappy narration that’s rich in sensory detail and metaphor, readers progress through well-paced storytelling that is ethereal and artfully inclusive.

This hopeful adventure leaves an indelible mark. (Fiction. 10-13)

Pub Date: July 12, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5344-6837-5

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Aladdin

Review Posted Online: May 9, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022

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GAME CHANGER

The story will resonate with those on both sides of the debate about the role of youth football in society, and the unusual...

A young athlete lies in a coma while his family and community try to determine the cause of his injury.

Thirteen-year-old Teddy Youngblood collapsed following an intense football practice. At first, the focus is on his injury and the concerns of his family and friends for his recovery. Counselors are brought in to help them with the trauma. The coach’s daughter, Camille, makes a social media page to encourage positive thoughts, but some of the posters hint that something other than a tough hit at practice caused his injury. The doctors encourage family and friends to talk to Teddy, and readers learn much through these comments. Teddy’s family is at odds. His mother, who lives apart, did not want her son to play football, while his dad supported his sports involvement. Also interspersed are Teddy’s thoughts as he lies in the hospital: “This is what life is / Life is football / Football is life.” This nontraditional narrative, using conversations, interview transcripts, text messages, hospital reports, and other documents, skillfully peels back the elements of the mystery. The issues of football’s violence are presented, but the book’s real strength is the depiction of the culture behind it. There are few descriptions to indicate the ethnic makeup of the characters (Teddy’s eyes are described as blue), implying the white default.

The story will resonate with those on both sides of the debate about the role of youth football in society, and the unusual storytelling technique sets it apart from most sport fiction. (Fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4197-3143-3

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Amulet/Abrams

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018

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