Updated from a 2003 edition, this catalog of female spies is depressingly sanitized and breathless.
The language is plain, simple and occasionally clichéd, enlivened by far too many exclamation points. It seems that nearly every one of these 40-plus women was beautiful or attractive, but far more interesting is how many of them knew several languages and were more educated than was typical for girls of their time. The authors (Hunter is a pseudonym for Pamela D. Greenwood and Elizabeth G. Macalaster) cover 300 years, from the Anglo-Dutch wars and Aphra Behn to Valerie Plame Wilson (a one-page “Spotlight”) and Lindsay Moran. The wide range of wars and women includes Ann Story, who spied for and protected the Green Mountain Boys in the American Revolution, and Eva Wu, a dancer who spied against the Communist Chinese in Hong Kong. “Spycraft” activities include making a fake rock to hide documents in and creating a cover identity. Chef Julia Child, actress Hedy Lamarr and Mata Hari are mentioned, although in brief Spotlights rather than full chapters. The language strives mightily to avoid any hint of sex (although the word mistress is used), and while danger is indeed described, it is bleached of any horror. The cover shows a smiling girl in a trench coat and a fedora, about as inappropriate an image for these brave and resourceful women as can be imagined. (bibliography, end notes) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58270-383-1
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2012
For every dreaming girl (and boy) with a pencil in hand (or keyboard) and a story to share. (Memoir/poetry. 8-12)
A multiaward–winning author recalls her childhood and the joy of becoming a writer.
Writing in free verse, Woodson starts with her 1963 birth in Ohio during the civil rights movement, when America is “a country caught / / between Black and White.” But while evoking names such as Malcolm, Martin, James, Rosa and Ruby, her story is also one of family: her father’s people in Ohio and her mother’s people in South Carolina. Moving south to live with her maternal grandmother, she is in a world of sweet peas and collards, getting her hair straightened and avoiding segregated stores with her grandmother. As the writer inside slowly grows, she listens to family stories and fills her days and evenings as a Jehovah’s Witness, activities that continue after a move to Brooklyn to reunite with her mother. The gift of a composition notebook, the experience of reading John Steptoe’s Stevie and Langston Hughes’ poetry, and seeing letters turn into words and words into thoughts all reinforce her conviction that “[W]ords are my brilliance.” Woodson cherishes her memories and shares them with a graceful lyricism; her lovingly wrought vignettes of country and city streets will linger long after the page is turned.
For every dreaming girl (and boy) with a pencil in hand (or keyboard) and a story to share. (Memoir/poetry. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-25251-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
A stellar collaboration that introduces an important and intriguing individual to today’s readers.
Two bestselling authors imagine the boyhood of the man who became the legendary boxing icon Muhammad Ali.
Cassius was a spirited child growing up in segregated Louisville, Kentucky. He had a loving home with his parents and younger brother, Rudy. Granddaddy Herman also was an important figure, imparting life lessons. His parents wanted him to succeed in school, but Cassius had difficulty reading and found more pleasure in playing and exploring outdoors. Early on, he and Rudy knew the restrictions of being African American, for example, encountering “Whites Only” signs at parks, but the brothers dreamed of fame like that enjoyed by Black boxer Joe Louis. Popular Cassius was especially close to Lucius “Lucky” Wakely; despite their academic differences, their deep connection remained after Lucky received a scholarship to a Catholic school. When Cassius wandered into the Columbia Boxing Gym, it seemed to be destiny, and he developed into a successful youth boxer. Told in two voices, with prose for the voice of Lucky and free verse for Cassius, the narrative provides readers with a multidimensional view of the early life of and influences on an important figure in sports and social change. Lucky’s observations give context while Cassius’ poetry encapsulates his drive, energy, and gift with words. Combined with dynamic illustrations by Anyabwile, the book captures the historical and social environment that produced Muhammad Ali.
A stellar collaboration that introduces an important and intriguing individual to today’s readers. (bibliography) (Biographical novel. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-49816-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown and HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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