Though the sparkling heroine does not need to lose weight, the book itself could do with some slimming.
Bluebelle joins a growing cadre of body-positive YA protagonists in Dockrill’s novel, originally published in the U.K. as Big Bones (2018).
Sixteen-year-old Londoner BB is fat. She states as much purely as a matter of fact. Though confident in her size, she is less confident about her future. Rather than return to school after summer holidays, BB wants to stay on as an apprentice at the local cafe where she works. When the nurse at her wellness checkup suggests she keep a food diary to help her control her weight and complications from asthma, it quickly becomes a bargaining chip: BB will keep the diary and go to the gym in exchange for her mother’s blessing for her apprenticeship scheme. The food diary quickly morphs beyond a log of her food intake, as chapters headed with a variety of food items, from trifle to panini, serve as launchpads for BB’s running musings on food, friendships, family, and life in general. This is a device trying too hard to be clever, as the foods referenced often make only a passing appearance. BB is often long-winded, turning what would otherwise be a fun coming-of-age beach read into a tome. BB and most of the supporting cast read as white, though her best friend, Camille, is identified as mixed-race with an Afro.
Though the sparkling heroine does not need to lose weight, the book itself could do with some slimming. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4928-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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