Good fun for readers willing to surrender to it.
Readers willing to put aside literary qualms will find themselves set for a summer afternoon with this undemanding romance.
History-obsessed fashion maven Libby is thrilled at the prospect of spending her summer at the Camden Harbor 18th-century living-history museum in Maine. But her insane roommate never leaves character, and electronics are forbidden, so when a museum employee is needed to chaperone a cub reporter investigating ghost sightings on one of the museum's ships, she jumps at the opportunity. Garrett may be a Star Trek–loving nerd, but she'll be able to use her cell phone when she's off duty. Libby enjoys her job as counselor for Girls of Long Ago Camp, and she loves the attention she's getting from hot demo sailor Cam. References aplenty to Jane Austen and Scooby-Doo will clue readers in to the resolutions of both the romance and the mystery, but it's a breezy ride despite the total lack of suspense. Strohm has a good sense of slapstick and an ear for one-liners. In describing her Fourth-of-July costume, Libby remarks that "[i]t looked like America had thrown up on me." While Libby's air-headedness never quite jibes with her professed love of history, she is nevertheless likable, if pretty one-dimensional.
Good fun for readers willing to surrender to it. (Chick lit. 12 & up)Pub Date: May 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-547-56459-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Graphia
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2012
A magical story with a classic Disney feel exploring love, friendship, and leading amid hardship.
Shortly before the new queen’s coronation, a monster wreaks havoc, forcing a young fairy princess to intervene at her own risk.
In Pixie Hollow, the Never Fairies of Spring, Summer, and Autumn work to create seasons for the humans on the Mainland, while the fairies of Winter remain apart in the Winter Woods. Clarion, a governing-talent fairy who’s soon to take over as queen of Pixie Hollow, often looks wonderingly at the Winter Woods. But crossing the border is against the rules set forth by her mentor, Queen Elvina. When a monster from Winter breaks free and enters Spring, Clarion bristles at Elvina’s dismissal. Determined to be involved, she secretly travels to Winter, meets with Milori, the Warden of the Winter Woods, and learns that the land is nothing like what she’s heard, making her wonder what else the queen has been untruthful about. Together Milori and Clarion work to discover the secrets of Pixie Hollow, which may save them—or lead to death. Set in a magical place of flowers and pixie dust, this story considers the control we have over the roles we’re assigned. Clarion is a beautifully complex character—strong yet insecure, lovable due to her willingness to prioritize relationships over rules. Themes of fear, forbidden love, and good vs. evil are present in this fast-paced, engaging tale. Main characters are cued white.
A magical story with a classic Disney feel exploring love, friendship, and leading amid hardship. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781368098458
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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