Alex Flinn, . . HarperTempest, $7.99 (288pp) ISBN 978-0-06-447257-9
In what PW
called "a gripping tale," a 16-year-old, who is considered perfect by his classmates, suffers a turbulent home life with an abusive father, and he himself follows the pattern of violence. Ages 13-up. (Oct.)
Note:
Additional reviews of children's books can be found in the Children's Religion section (p. 69).
"Ever feel like you're breathing underwater, and you have to stop because you're gulping in too much fluid?" For 16-year-old Nick Andreas, these words from his violence counselor Continue reading »
Heavy-handed writing undermines Flinn's (Breathing Underwater) stated goal for her second novel, namely, to "stimulate discussion" among teens about Continue reading »
Michael Daye has been living under an assumed name and traveling with a carnival for the past year, but he returns with the carnival to Miami just as his mother is about to stand trial for Continue reading »
Flinn (Diva
) delivers a lighthearted and contemporary twist on Beauty and the Beast, and while there is nothing shocking nor any striking departure from the Continue reading »
In the same vein as Flinn's Beastly, this clever and humorous retelling of ""Sleeping Beauty"" follows an aimless American boy who awakens a princess who has been slumbering for 300 years. Jack Continue reading »
As she did in Beastly and A Kiss in Time, Flinn mixes traditional fairy tales with a modern setting in a romance that is clever but not always compelling. When the beautiful princess of Aloria visits Continue reading »
Flinn (Beastly, Cloaked) again puts a modern spin on a classic fairy tale. In this Rapunzel retelling, Wyatt, a teen mourning the devastating loss of his best friend and his best friend's sister, Continue reading »
Among the titles Milo reads one night, one is “about a monster under the bed. Milo should not have read that book.” Frightened, he uses a flashlight to signal Mel, his best Continue reading »
In this engaging novel by Kelly (The First State of Being), eminently likable, curious eight-year-old Felix, who cues as white, is inexplicably drawn to a seemingly nondescript Continue reading »
Dynamic spreads by Zhang pulse with energy as they capture the casual grace of Japan’s demae—cycling food deliverers—who, from the 1930s to the 1970s, per an end note, balanced Continue reading »
Barrio Rising: The Protest That Built Chicano Park
María Dolores Águila
In this activist picture book, a child living in San Diego’s Barrio Logan vividly narrates, in English and Spanish, a story of individual and collective strength. In their Continue reading »