Sweetly entertaining.
Alice Atherton, a fictional 10-year-old, visits real-life American expatriates Sara and Gerald Murphy in Antibes—and meets luminaries such as Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway.
Simple yet elegant text immediately sets the time and place: New York, 1927. Stuck in the stuffy parlor, Alice fantasizes about playing outside in the snow instead of listening to boring Old Miss Pennyweather. When she starts to drift off, the governess becomes worried and hustles her to bed. After a visit from the family doctor, Alice’s father agrees that she is suffering due to her mother’s recent death. His solution: send Alice and Miss Pennyweather to France to stay with his friends the Murphys; there, Alice will acquire “the art of living fully.” Miss Pennyweather, a rigid and easily scandalized stock character, presents plenty of humorous diversion on the ocean voyage and subsequent travels, returning home almost immediately after arriving at the unconventional Murphy household. Alice, on the other hand, is delighted to stay. In no time, she’s running about barefoot, riding donkeys with the Murphy children, and, indeed, learning valuable life lessons. Occasionally, the text references Alice’s grieving process, but mostly the story revolves around a fast-paced, humorous series of adventures, including a treasure hunt instigated by Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald. Uplifting though didactic messages about overcoming loss and finding oneself are woven through tantalizing bits of period artifacts, history, and biography. Characters are cued white.
Sweetly entertaining. (author’s note, afterword, biographies of the real-life people mentioned, photographs) (Historical fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9780553536812
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape.
The fourth installment in Delacre’s early-reader series centers on the rich musical traditions of Puerto Rico, once again featuring sibling tree frogs Rafi and Rosi Coquí.
Readers learn along with Rafi and Rosi as they explore bomba, plena, and salsa in three chapters. A glossary at the beginning sets readers up well to understand the Spanish vocabulary, including accurate phoneticization for non-Spanish speakers. The stories focus on Rafi and Rosi’s relationship within a musical context. For example, in one chapter Rafi finds out that he attracts a larger audience playing his homemade güiro with Rosi’s help even though he initially excluded her: “Big brothers only.” Even when he makes mistakes, as the older brother, Rafi consoles Rosi when she is embarrassed or angry at him. In each instance, their shared joy for music and dance ultimately shines through any upsets—a valuable reflection of unity. Informational backmatter and author’s sources are extensive. Undoubtedly these will help teachers, librarians, and parents to develop Puerto Rican cultural programs, curriculum, or home activities to extend young readers’ learning. The inclusion of instructions to make one’s own homemade güiro is a thoughtful addition. The Spanish translation, also by Delacre and published simultaneously, will require a more advanced reader than the English one to recognize and comprehend contractions (“pa’bajo-pa-pa’rriba”) and relatively sophisticated vocabulary.
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape. (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-89239-429-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
A classic sibling rivalry tale that still satisfies to the last drop.
In this graphic novel adaptation of Davies’ 2007 book, hurt feelings propel an intense business battle.
Fourth grader Evan can’t stand the thought of his brainy younger sister, Jessie, skipping a grade and joining his class this fall. Intelligent but emotionally immature, Jessie sometimes misses social cues and wishes she could be more like the gregarious Evan. These insecurities set the stage for a contest to see who can raise the most money selling lemonade this summer. Will Jessie’s book smarts beat Evan’s people skills? The beauty of this story lies in how each sibling’s strengths rub off on the other: Evan brushes up on his math, while Jessie tentatively makes a new friend. De la Vega’s polished cartoon artwork creatively translates Davies’ metaphors to a visual medium. When the author compares the “mean words inside Evan…fighting to get out” to bats, illustrations depict the furry animals emerging from beneath his shirt; Jessie’s negative thoughts take the form of a tiny purple creature irritatingly tapping her shoulder. Tender scenes depict flashbacks of the siblings supporting each other through their parents’ divorce. The book has business savvy to match the emotional beats (each chapter opens with an entrepreneurial definition that relates to the plot), and several scenes feature math problems that readers can solve for themselves. Evan and Jessie appear white; both have friends of color.
A classic sibling rivalry tale that still satisfies to the last drop. (business tips) (Graphic fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9780063310407
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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