The emphasis on the mysterious and unknowable contents of the suitcase seems misplaced in a story whose real message is...
A German philosopher disappears during World War II in an attempt to flee his country.
This unusual book from Switzerland is based on the real life of Walter Benjamin, a writer who tried to escape Nazi persecution by traveling across the Pyrenees with a group of refugees under the guidance of an Austrian woman named Mrs. Fittko. In the story, Mr. Benjamin insists on dragging a very heavy suitcase along, the contents of which “can change everything.” He is turned back at the border and never seen again. Speculation about what was in the suitcase ranges from weapons of war to his favorite foods, occupying the final several pages of the story and leaving readers wondering as well. In her first children’s book, Chang uses mixed-media illustrations to convey the bleakness of Mr. Benjamin’s journey. Matte collage with cutouts of white-skinned people and a classic newspaper typeface hint at political cartoons of the era. Starkly rigid figures of officers with not-quite swastikas on their sleeves are the only clue to the story’s setting, in keeping with the vaguely ominous feel of the simple text. It’s likely that Walter Benjamin’s story is more widely known in Europe than in the United States; the brief biographical notes about Mr. Benjamin and Mrs. Fittko provide some further information.
The emphasis on the mysterious and unknowable contents of the suitcase seems misplaced in a story whose real message is about the ease with which governments, then and now, can disappear individuals, especially those with “extraordinary ideas.” (Picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4280-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode.
A long-running series reaches its closing chapters.
Having, as Kline notes in her warm valedictory acknowledgements, taken 30 years to get through second and third grade, Harry Spooger is overdue to move on—but not just into fourth grade, it turns out, as his family is moving to another town as soon as the school year ends. The news leaves his best friend, narrator “Dougo,” devastated…particularly as Harry doesn’t seem all that fussed about it. With series fans in mind, the author takes Harry through a sort of last-day-of-school farewell tour. From his desk he pulls a burned hot dog and other items that featured in past episodes, says goodbye to Song Lee and other classmates, and even (for the first time ever) leads Doug and readers into his house and memento-strewn room for further reminiscing. Of course, Harry isn’t as blasé about the move as he pretends, and eyes aren’t exactly dry when he departs. But hardly is he out of sight before Doug is meeting Mohammad, a new neighbor from Syria who (along with further diversifying a cast that began as mostly white but has become increasingly multiethnic over the years) will also be starting fourth grade at summer’s end, and planning a written account of his “horrible” buddy’s exploits. Finished illustrations not seen.
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47963-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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