nonfiction

“… just before—before—a strong closing chapter,
Pike interrupts with an Author’s Note, counseling, ‘if you prefer
your endings happy… maybe you should stop reading here.’”
from destined
but this title has been formatted for slightly older readers. Its
bold colors and interesting patterns have appeal, but both the
experiences (plucking mushrooms) and the stilted language
may be beyond even the kindergarten child.
For die-cut surprises read Laura Vaccaro Seeger’s Lemons
Are Not Red (2004) or Hervé Tullet’s The Book with a Hole
(2011) instead. (Picture book. 5-7)
DESTINED
Pike, Aprilynne
HarperTeen (320 pp.)
$17.99 | May 1, 2012
978-0-06-166812-8
The bloom is off the rose in the conclusion
of a paranormal romance featuring
faeries who are, biologically, plants.
At first (Wings, 2009; Spells, 2010),
blond, zitless Laurel seemed idealized but
unique: Laurel oozes sap (not blood) when
injured, and the prose likewise was pleasant and refreshingly nonangsty
for the genre. By this fourth volume, however, any freshness
has faded. Four friends—faeries Laurel and Tamani, humans David
and Chelsea—fight to defend idyllic Avalon against renegade faeries
and ugly trolls. David wields Excalibur, echoing King Arthur,
though the Arthurian theme never jells. Cliché (“A true hero knows
love is more powerful than hate”) and purple prose (“A single tear,
glistening in the moonlight, slid down her porcelain cheek”) sprout
up, overwhelming vivid images and one particularly clever textual
misdirection. Despite claiming a “deadly fast-forward” pace, fight
scenes drag. Laurel hopes her love triangle will become a neat
square (with David finally noticing Chelsea), but just before—
before—a strong closing chapter, Pike interrupts with an Author’s
Note, counseling, “if you prefer your endings happy… maybe you
should stop reading here.” This bizarre Note disrupts the fiction
and sabotages the last chapter’s emotional power—and its content.
With mediocre exposition and with battles superseding
the previous volumes’ fluttery abstinence-romance scenes,
this won’t attract new fans, but it will gratify loyal followers
by providing closure. (Paranormal romance. 13 & up)
PUTTING ON THE BRAKES
Understanding and
Taking Control of
Your ADD or ADHD
Quinn, Patricia O. & Stern, Judith M.
American Psychological Association/
Magination (112 pp.)
$16.95 | paper $12.95 | Apr. 1, 2012
978-1-4338-1135-7
978-1-4338-1134-0 paperback
Minor revisions and new illustrations freshen up the third
edition of an encouraging, if generalized, guide for young people
with attention issues and their parents.
Using simple language and addressing readers directly, the
authors first define types of AD/HD and explain current thinking
about its behavioral and neurological characteristics. They
then go on to offer a basic set of tools and techniques for managing
the disorder. These range from building a “Support Team”
of adults to using yoga, self-initiated timeouts, medication and
other means of controlling emotions and impulses. The authors
close with a restatement of their central message, that “[your]
AD/HD is just one part of you. Try hard to manage it, and you
will have plenty of energy left over to enjoy the many other parts
of your life.” Abstract cartoon drawings and photos of smiling
children reinforce the overall positive tone. So inclusive is the
message that, aside from a single mention that genuine AD/HD
can only be diagnosed by a professional, nearly all the advice
here about self-control, making friends, establishing good study
habits and maintaining a healthy lifestyle could apply to anyone.
More specific and extensive manuals and workbooks
abound, but as a lucid guide to the disorder and its management,
this has proven its worth over the past 20 years.
(multilevel, multimedia resource lists) (Self-help. 9-12, adult)
EXCUSES, EXCUSES!
Ravishankar, Anushka
Illus. by Manglou, Gabrielle
Tara Publishing (46 pp.)
$16.95 | May 1, 2012
978-93-80340-12-8
A narrator introduces readers to Neel,
who, for every day of the week, makes a
decision to better himself, then falls short—
with good reason, as Neel himself explains in nonsense verse.
The framework is clever, starting with the narrator providing
the premise. What follows is a daily reckoning. Each
day of the week is given a full spread, with the day appearing
on the verso and a question or accusation from a teacher, parent
or other unnamed authority figure on the recto. Turn the
page, and youngsters will delight in Neel’s fantastic excuses.
For example, on Wednesday, the voice proclaims, “Where’s the
bread / You brought a dog instead” Neel hypothesizes that the
dog hypnotized him: “I don’t know how I got back here, / and
so, therefore, you see, / I didn’t bring the dog back home— / He
brought me.” The rhythm sometimes stumbles, but the situations
are recognizable—except for those that are so farfetched
they will inspire admiration, such as when Neel shows up without
socks, claiming he stuffed them into a panicked elephant’s
ears. The illustrations, a collage of tinted photographs and art,
provide an appropriately surreal backdrop. Unfortunately, the
placement of text, the use of amorphous figures and the amount
of blank space on some pages disrupt the flow and may leave
readers feeling disengaged.
An uneven, ambitious effort. (Picture book/poetry. 5-9)
PAIUTE PRINCESS
The Story of Sarah
Winnemucca
Ray, Deborah Kogan
Illus. by Ray, Deborah Kogan
Frances Foster/Farrar,
Straus & Giroux (48 pp.)
$17.99 | May 8, 2012
978-0-374-39897-2
Sarah Winnemucca’s fearless determination along with her
talent for languages and her commitment to education for her
people made her a striking spokesperson, lecturer and educator.
Ray’s biography encompasses Winnemucca’s life from childhood
through her work with the Peabody School she founded
in 1885 in Lovelock, Nev. The heartbreak and challenges Sarah’s
Paiute people experienced as gold and silver mining brought
English-speaking settlers in droves to the Great Basin of Utah,
Nevada and California form the core of the narrative. A picturebook
trim size allows for substantial blocks of text to accompany
Ray’s luminous full-page paintings, each focusing on a
chapter of Winnemucca’s life. Quotations from Winnemucca’s
autobiography as well as from other contemporary writings
augment the account. Extensive backmatter offers more information
about Winnemucca’s life (Ray explains that the term
“princess” was conferred by white journalists) and her people,
extending the range for this work well into middle school. The
lack of page numbers or index is a slight problem for navigating
back through the work, but the clarity of the narrative will
make this an excellent read-aloud for older listeners.
A compelling introduction to an extraordinary leader.
(author’s note, map, timeline, bibliography) (Biography. 9-13)
DON’T SQUISH
THE SASQUATCH!
Redeker, Kent
Illus. by Staake, Bob
Disney Hyperion (40 pp.)
$16.99 | Jun. 19, 2012
978-1-4231-5232-3
Mr. Sasquatch tempts fate—a good squishing—when he
boards Mr. Blobule’s city bus.
“Hello, Mr. Blobule! May I please ride your bus” asks Mr. Sasquatch
to open this gladdening bit of tomfoolery from Redeker.
Traveling through a city where French curves meet plane geometry
in a style as idiosyncratic as Art Deco and all Staake’s own, others
ask to ride the bus. There are Miss Goat-Whale, Mr. Octo-Rhino,
Miss Loch-Ness-Monster-Space-Alien, all in a roundelay of “ ‘May I
please ride your bus’ / ‘Of course you may ride my bus…. But please…
// Don’t squish the Sasquatch!’ ” Who, of course, gets more squished
with each new rider, his eyes rotating, his hat boinging off, his arms
flailing, until—”KA-BLOOEY!!” This work will not be denied
engagement, whether children join the circle dance of words, with
their simple, sunny musicality, or pore closely over the fanciful city
the bus passes through. Mr. Sasquatch’s final delamination takes
place in a fine, eruptive double-gatefold, which inspires a group hug,
which triggers Mr. Sasquatch’s claustrophobia switch again.
Pure, disarming horseplay served on a bed of charismatic
artwork. (Picture book. 1-5)
HOW
The Most Awesome
Question and Answer
Book about Nature,
Animals, People,
Places—and You!
Ripley, Catherine
Illus. by Ritchie, Scot
Owlkids Books (192 pp.)
$19.95 | $19.95 e-book | May 15, 2012
978-1-926973-24-1
978-1-926973-25-8 e-book
Lightweight answers to FAQs about such subjects as birthdays,
libraries, pets and road trips.
In question-and-answer format—with each one allotted a
two-page spread and accompanied by Ritchie’s loose-line, pastelcolored
artwork—Ripley fields a range of questions. They include
how batter turns into cake and how birthday candles stay on fire,
why hamsters run on wheels and why they stuff their cheeks with
food, why you hear the sea in a seashell and why the ocean is salty.
The answers are both fruity with humor and specific as to the
immediate explanation, but there is not much meat on the bones
to many of the answers, even for the intended age group. This
is true especially when it comes to secondary clarifications that
would deepen understanding, because these answers are going
to elicit plenty more “hows” and “whys.” Some of the questions
ignite the “duh” factor: “Why do we wrap presents Because
surprises are fun! And because wrapping makes gifts look extra
special.” There is a modest sense of repetition: “Why are some
books hardcover and some paperback Because different
readers like different kinds of books!” (nor does the extended
response do any better a job of answering the question) and
“Why are dogs different sizes Different dogs for different
folks!” Then come really sharp explanations as to why tarantulas
have hair and why gasoline has a strong odor.
An uneven effort that is too often unhelpfully simplistic.
(Nonfiction. 5-8)
DUCK SAYS DON’T!
Ritchie, Alison
Illus. by George, Hannah
Good Books (26 pp.)
$16.99Jun. 1, 2012
978-1-56148-745-5
Goose leaves Duck in charge when she
leaves her pond, with unhappy results.
Power goes immediately to Duck’s head. First, he stops the
dragonflies from racing, although they point out that flying is
868 | 15 april 2012 | children’s & teen | kirkusreviews.com |
| kirkusreviews.com | children’s & teen | 15 april 2012 | 869