Of the three Bishop girls—living in a 1950's British coastal town—only Lily, eight, was born after WW II; pampered by an anxious mother, she has elaborate strategies to cope with the dark and with fears of the ``Leftover Nazi'' she imagines hiding in the dunes. Rosa, the eldest, is an autocratic ``Virgin Queen''; after dating a series of elegant young men—her sisters call them the ``Droopers''—she's to marry a nice, upright naval officer whose rank of 108th in line for the throne is all her upwardly mobile parents could wish. Meanwhile, dependable ugly- duckling Eliza, 15, struggles with mixed feelings about her mature best friend Jo, fairly described as a ``tart,'' and about Jo's mother's lodger Jake, a man in his 20s who, with charming courtesy and real interest, exchanges philosophical musings with Eliza. Readers will be held by the lively incidents here, not least those involving a shrunken head that Lily snitches from Jo's house, which repeatedly threatens to cause trouble before it serves its nicely devised purpose in the story. But outstanding are the splendidly fresh, witty descriptions and rich characterizations, especially of Lily and Eliza, whose points of view alternate. Like Jane Austen, Hendry (1991 Whitbread Award) incisively satirizes class and convention while depicting the sisters with affectionate good humor; each lives through a crisis and moves closer to maturity, learning to ``see double''—``with the head and the heart. Reason and imagination.'' Wonderfully warm and complex; readers who enjoy this may go happily on to Pride and Prejudice. (Fiction. 11+)
Pub Date: May 1, 1993
ISBN: 1-56402-125-4
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1993
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment.
A manifesto for budding feminists.
At the core of this engaging novel are besties Chelsea, who is Irish- and Italian-American and into fashion and beauty, and Jasmine, who is African-American, loves the theater, and pushes back against bias around size (“I don’t need your fake compliments, your pity. I know I’m beautiful. Inside and out”). They and their sidekicks, half-Japanese/half-Lebanese Nadine and Puerto Rican Isaac, grow into first-class activists—simultaneously educating their peers and readers. The year gets off to a rocky start at their progressive, social justice–oriented New York City high school: Along with the usual angst many students experience, Jasmine’s father is terminally ill with cancer, and after things go badly in both their clubs, Jasmine and Chelsea form a women’s rights club which becomes the catalyst for their growth as they explore gender inequality and opportunities for change. This is an inspiring look at two strong-willed teens growing into even stronger young women ready to use their voices and take on the world, imploring budding feminists everywhere to “join the revolution.” The book offers a poetic balance of dialogue among the main characters, their peers, and the adults in their lives. The exquisite pacing, which intersperses everyday teen conflicts with weightier issues, demonstrates how teens long to be heard and taken seriously.
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment. (resources for young activists, endnotes) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0008-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2019
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