Molly writes about the summer she's 14 in a handsomely bound journal, a gift from her difficult best friend Vicky. Quick to take offense, at odds with her divorced mother, jealous of their new friend Grace (a visitor to their Massachusetts island), Vicky even twists news of Molly's first period into a slight—and then exacts a promise that she won't tell her own nice mom. Still, Molly is loyal; the two have always been close, and though she chafes at Vicky's goading she's too uncertain of herself to rebel. Fond of a boy who broke up with her after a single kiss, she's also attracted to Vicky's brother, who used to babysit them; she has just discovered Toni Morrison's novels and seems to be drifting away from her parents, who are mystified at having such a bookish daughter (Dad's a landscaper); she covers her developing body with voluminous clothes and stops eating. In the end, discovering that Vicky betrayed her by secretly reading her journal sets Molly free: Jolted into a more mature sense of herself, she choses high school courses that are best for her, not Vicky, and gets her eating habits in order. If she ever accepts Vicky again, it will be on her own terms. There's more than ample detail here to delineate this uneasy friendship, yet each incident is telling and almost painfully realistic. Vail (Do-Over, 1992) not only likes and respects her young characters; she knows them inside out. An unusually immediate portrayal of a thoughtful teen finding her balance among her peers while making peace with her own capabilities. (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-531-06838-2
Page Count: 166
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1994
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
When Clara Luna, 14, visits rural Mexico for the summer to visit the paternal grandparents she has never met, she cannot know her trip will involve an emotional and spiritual journey into her family’s past and a deep connection to a rich heritage of which she was barely aware. Long estranged from his parents, Clara’s father had entered the U.S. illegally years before, subsequently becoming a successful business owner who never spoke about what he left behind. Clara’s journey into her grandmother’s history (told in alternating chapters with Clara’s own first-person narrative) and her discovery that she, like her grandmother and ancestors, has a gift for healing, awakens her to the simple, mystical joys of a rural lifestyle she comes to love and wholly embrace. Painfully aware of not fitting into suburban teen life in her native Maryland, Clara awakens to feeling alive in Mexico and realizes a sweet first love with Pedro, a charming goat herder. Beautifully written, this is filled with evocative language that is rich in imagery and nuance and speaks to the connections that bind us all. Add a thrilling adventure and all the makings of an entrancing read are here. (glossaries) (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2006
ISBN: 0-385-73343-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2006
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