While roller-derby tales are virtually nonexistent, this average effort has little to propel it past other athlete-focused...
New in town after her mother’s virtual abandonment, Dorothy immediately runs into trouble with her middle school’s popular girls, especially the angry and unhappy Alex.
Her problems are further complicated by her racy grandmother, a retired funeral-home operator and former roller-derby star who thrives on conflict. Dorothy makes friends with a few of her school’s outcasts, but the whole group is attacked at the local roller rink by some of the popular girls. This, with some help from Grandma, inspires them to form a roller-derby team—quite a feat, since not all of them even know how to roller skate. Rising to the top of team competition, they move on to the finals, but only good coaching and smart strategizing will lead them to a win there. The largely stock characters are predictable, as are many of the conflicts they face, including Dorothy’s absent mother and Alex’s embarrassment over having two dads. A surfeit of subplots competes for attention with the apparent aim of female self-realization. Those expecting a zombie or two will be disappointed: The titular “Undead Redhead” is just Dorothy’s team name. Occasional graphic-novel–style panels accompany the text, adding a flavor of the lively action of derby bouts.
While roller-derby tales are virtually nonexistent, this average effort has little to propel it past other athlete-focused tales. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4022-9535-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
A real gem.
A 10-year old girl learns to adjust to a strange town, makes some fascinating friends, and fills the empty space in her heart thanks to a big old stray dog in this lyrical, moving, and enchanting book by a fresh new voice.
India Opal’s mama left when she was only three, and her father, “the preacher,” is absorbed in his own loss and in the work of his new ministry at the Open-Arms Baptist Church of Naomi [Florida]. Enter Winn-Dixie, a dog who “looked like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain.” But, this dog had a grin “so big that it made him sneeze.” And, as Opal says, “It’s hard not to immediately fall in love with a dog who has a good sense of humor.” Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal meets Miss Franny Block, an elderly lady whose papa built her a library of her own when she was just a little girl and she’s been the librarian ever since. Then, there’s nearly blind Gloria Dump, who hangs the empty bottle wreckage of her past from the mistake tree in her back yard. And, Otis, oh yes, Otis, whose music charms the gerbils, rabbits, snakes and lizards he’s let out of their cages in the pet store. Brush strokes of magical realism elevate this beyond a simple story of friendship to a well-crafted tale of community and fellowship, of sweetness, sorrow and hope. And, it’s funny, too.
A real gem. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0776-2
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2000
SEEN & HEARD
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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