An authentically awkward exploration of grief particularly well-suited for preteen boys.
Seventh-grader Noah Cohen and his best friend, Dash, eat, sleep, and breathe comedy, so it’s no surprise they choose to research Jewish comedians for their mitzvah project at Hebrew school, even if it means partnering with Noah’s female nemesis, Noa Cohen.
As long as Noah and Dash can spend their weekends watching movies and making up comedy sketches with Dash’s dad, the “coolest guy on the planet,” life is good. Until it isn’t. Dash’s father’s unexpected death is devastating for Noah, not only because he misses Gil, but because it drives a wedge between the two best friends as Dash struggles to cope. What’s worse is that Dash has found a new confidant seemingly overnight, leaving Noah reeling and desperate to win back his best friend. Despite the support of his two moms, his sister, and his rabbi, Noah leaps and lurches awkwardly through his first real experience with death. While it is uncomfortable and sometimes even painful to read, Noah’s struggle also feels incredibly authentic. And fortunately for readers, there’s just enough humor to help lighten the mood when things get dark. While the primary characters all appear to be white, it is beyond refreshing to see a story that is so thoroughly Jewish without a hint of persecution. And while bookshelves are filled with stories about children losing a family member, this novel offers something new by focusing on the unexpected loss of someone beloved but not related. An author’s note and list of resources follow the story.
An authentically awkward exploration of grief particularly well-suited for preteen boys. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-55175-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Certain to steal hearts.
In this follow-up to 2020’s The One and Only Bob, Ruby the elephant is still living at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary.
She’s apprehensive about her Tuskday, a rite of passage for young elephants when she’ll give a speech in front of the rest of the herd. Luckily, she can confide in her Uncle Ivan, who is next door in Gorilla World, and Uncle Bob, the dog who lives nearby with human friend Julia. Ruby was born in an unspecified part of Africa, later ending up on display in the mall, where she met Ivan, Bob, and Julia. The unexpected arrival of someone from Ruby’s past life on the savanna revives memories both warmly nostalgic and deeply traumatic. An elephant glossary and Castelao’s charming, illustrated guide to elephant body language help immerse readers in Ruby’s world. Goofy, playful, and mischievous Ruby is fully dimensional, as she has shown her bravery during the many hardships of her young life. Applegate deftly tempers themes of grief and loss with compassion and humor as Ruby finds her place in the herd. The author’s note touches on climate change, the illegal ivory trade, and conservation efforts, but the highly emotive framing of the story through the memories of a bewildered baby elephant emphasizes the impact of lines such as “ ‘in Africa,’ I say softly, ‘there were bad people,’ ” without offering readers a nuanced understanding of the broader context that drives poaching.
Certain to steal hearts. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780063080089
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
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