The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books最新文献_第6页

The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert (review) 布兰迪·科尔伯特《布莱克伍德》(书评)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2023.a907065

Quinita Balderson

{"title":"The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert (review)","authors":"Quinita Balderson","doi":"10.1353/bcc.2023.a907065","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2023.a907065","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert Quinita Balderson Colbert, Brandy The Blackwoods. Balzer + Bray, 2023 [384p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063091597 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063091610 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr 7-10 The passing of Black actress Blossom Blackwood, matriarch to multiple generations of family who have grown up in the limelight of her legacy, marks the revelation of a deep family secret that uproots the family's understanding of their family tree. Emerging onto the silver screen as a Black actress in the '60s was no easy feat for Blossom, and added expectations of a traditional family were exacerbated by her celebrity. That celebrity continues after her passing, as her granddaughters learn that tabloids will jump at the chance to show them at their most vulnerable; there's [End Page 51] no grace period for them to grieve privately, whether thrust into child stardom like Ardith or actively avoiding celebrity by association like Hollis. Colbert delivers a heartfelt, layered story that evokes the glamour one would expect from a classic black-and-white film. Told from the perspectives of Blossom, Hollis, and Ardith, this delves into themes of identity, societal expectations, and the blurred boundaries between private and public lives. The exploration of family secrets, the weight of expected gender roles, and the repercussions both have on the characters add elements of intrigue and suspense, keeping readers engaged and eager to unravel the truth. This selection would complement an exploration of sociology in the arts/media studies throughout American history. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois","PeriodicalId":472942,"journal":{"name":"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135274334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day (review) 《蒙娜丽莎的消失:一位传奇画家，一场令人震惊的抢劫，以及一位全球名人的诞生》作者:尼古拉斯·戴

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2023.a907070

{"title":"The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day (review)","authors":"","doi":"10.1353/bcc.2023.a907070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2023.a907070","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Day, Nicholas The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity; illus. by Brett Helquist. Random House Studio, 2023 [288p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593643846 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593643860 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-10 It's perhaps unthinkable that for much of its life, the Mona Lisa was simply another painting in the Louvre, nothing particularly special and interesting only to artists and avid art lovers. It was only after its theft on August 21, 1911, that it became notorious, the subject of \"the greatest heist in art history\" and an obsession of the general public. Everyone had a theory: was it a besotted admirer? An inside job? A brilliant mastermind? The truth would turn out to be rather banal, but the investigation itself was the embodiment of a world on the cusp of change, as forensic science, media speculation, and a changing art world met old guard prejudice, rising nationalism, and misplaced suspicion. Day walks readers through both the theft and the creation of the Mona Lisa, bouncing between turn-of-the-century Paris and the Italian Renaissance, where he introduces Leonardo da Vinci and the purported model of the Mona Lisa, Lisa Gherardini. The playful prose in direct address charmingly invites readers into a story that details everything from the stuffy gender roles of fifteenth-century Florence to a wildly inept police investigation to a rather deceitful and not at all admirable Pablo Picasso. Helquist's black-and-white vignettes match the text's breezy tone, together balancing a sense of light-hearted adventure with a hefty amount of information about the heist and the painting's eventual recovery. No art history requirement here; readers simply need to love a good story to enjoy this bit of historical fun. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois","PeriodicalId":472942,"journal":{"name":"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135273303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

A Very Cranky Book by Angela DiTerlizzi (review) 安吉拉·迪特里齐《古怪的书》(书评)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2023.a907073

Natalie Berglind

{"title":"A Very Cranky Book by Angela DiTerlizzi (review)","authors":"Natalie Berglind","doi":"10.1353/bcc.2023.a907073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2023.a907073","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: A Very Cranky Book by Angela DiTerlizzi Natalie Berglind DiTerlizzi, Angela A Very Cranky Book; illus. by Tony DiTerlizzi. Quill Tree/HarperCollins, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063206670 $19.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad 3-7 yrs Cranky the book has opinions about being read, namely that it's \"the worst idea in the HISTORY OF IDEAS.\" He's hopped down from the bookshelf to tell the viewer to leave and go do something else, like draw a picture, to which the viewer responds with a mocking drawing of Cranky in his crankiest pose. Cranky's announcement that story time is not happening today summons an alphabet book, a board book about cats, a joke book, a monster book, and a fairytale book, who begin [End Page 55] story time without Cranky as he sulks in the corner. But once Cranky starts to feel better, he rejoins the group, reassuring the viewer that he'll try his best not to be so cranky next time. Text mainly consists of speech bubbles, making the performative potential theoretically high, and details like Cranky ushering the viewer out a door toward a giant photorealistic T-rex are sure to garner some laughs. The backgrounds are desaturated and simple, consisting of a kid's room's messy bookshelf and split crayons, and realistic textures are used for Cranky and the other books, including an actual image of a cat and a pretty foil spine for the fairy tale book to contrast with their cartoonish expressions. However, the reliance on gender stereotypes, with the fairytale book being pink and effeminate and Cranky being blue, as well as negative stereotypes about physical appearance (the joke book is cross-eyed with uneven buck teeth) dates this book before its publication. Fenske's A Unicorn, a Dinosaur, and a Shark Walk Into a Book (BCCB 2/23) or Falatko's Snappsy the Alligator Did Not Ask to Be In This Book (BCCB 3/16) offer more contemporary nods to meta-fiction fun. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois","PeriodicalId":472942,"journal":{"name":"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135273304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan (review) 詹妮弗·杜根《最后的女孩》(书评)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2023.a907074

April Spisak

{"title":"The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan (review)","authors":"April Spisak","doi":"10.1353/bcc.2023.a907074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2023.a907074","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan April Spisak Dugan, Jennifer The Last Girls Standing. Putnam, 2023 [320p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593532072 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593532089 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 9-12 Sloan is barely hanging on after she is one of only two survivors of a brutal massacre at the summer camp where she was a counselor. Her absolute dependence on her girlfriend Cherry, the other survivor, is understandable, particularly because Sloan has no memories of the night herself. Cherry is there to tell Sloan what happened as many times as she needs to hear it, to comfort her, and to be a desperately needed romantic distraction from a life that now feels alternately empty of meaning and brimming with mysteries that need unpacking. The pace begins slow but accelerates as Sloan's tenuous web of support beyond Cherry fails to help her in any meaningful ways. She decides the only path to healing is to fully understand the reason for the massacre, flatly refusing to believe it was simply random, horrific violence and instead creating conspiracy theories with little evidence. Dugan ably balances Sloan's unprocessed trauma, her exhausted defiance, and her desire for unconditional love to make her a twisty and complex unreliable narrator—even she admits that everything she knows about the night when she almost died comes from media reports or her girlfriend. Her slow, inexorable creep toward the absolute wrong conclusions is painful to watch for readers, who will have as little ability to help her course correct as Cherry does, and a shocking tragedy feels inevitable given Sloan's determined, tortured fight toward something, anything, that feels like truth. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois","PeriodicalId":472942,"journal":{"name":"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books","volume":"42 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135273306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Waiting for Tomorrow by Susan Yoon (review) 《等待明天》苏珊·尹(书评)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2023.a907121

Danica Ronquillo

{"title":"Waiting for Tomorrow by Susan Yoon (review)","authors":"Danica Ronquillo","doi":"10.1353/bcc.2023.a907121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2023.a907121","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: Waiting for Tomorrow by Susan Yoon Danica Ronquillo Yoon, Susan Waiting for Tomorrow; illus. by Julie Kwon. Farrar, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780374390228 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 4-7 yrs After a long time away from home, Appa (father) will finally return tomorrow, and Hanna and her big sister Haejin want to independently make hotteok, brown sugar-filled Korean pancakes, to celebrate. After acquiring the ingredients from the kitchen and the grocery store, Hanna tries to help Haejin mix all the ingredients and roll the dough, only to create a big mess by dropping the batter on the floor. There's not enough money left in the piggy bank to pay for more ingredients, so Haejin attempts to gather the falling snow outside to use instead, giving Hanna an idea to make things better for tomorrow. Yoon and Kwon make ordinary days extraordinary in this debut picture book about Korean immigrant siblings awaiting their father's return home. The warm palette of watercolor paint and colored pencils cheerfully depicts Hanna's imaginings, from swimming in her favorite gogi-and-turnip soup to encountering shadows shaped like woodland creatures as she and Haejin walk through a forest bathed in afternoon light. Siblings may smile with knowing appreciation at Hanna's interactions and admiration for her older sister, as she follows Haejin everywhere but sometimes does not listen to her advice. Nevertheless, Haejin's calm demeanor balances with Hanna's energetic spirit, and the tender sibling bond is illustrated with Haejin looking after Hanna, carrying her home on her back when her feet are cold or answering her questions and worries with patience and kindness. This picture book makes a fine addition to a collection with I Dream of Popo and Watercress (BCCB 3/21), with back matter including an author's note and a hotteok recipe. [End Page 80] Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois","PeriodicalId":472942,"journal":{"name":"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135273783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone (review) 林德尔·克利普斯通《邪恶的恐怖》(书评)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2023.a907064

April Spisak

{"title":"Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone (review)","authors":"April Spisak","doi":"10.1353/bcc.2023.a907064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2023.a907064","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone April Spisak Clipstone, Lyndall Unholy Terrors. Holt, 2023 [384p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250887733 $20.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250887726 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 9-12 Everline lives in the shadow of her deceased mother's betrayal of her warrior peers, and her aloof father has no interest in answering any of Everline's questions about her mother—she was evil, end of story. Everline is well aware of the stark lines between the wardens, warriors who use magic and battle skills to keep away monsters, and the vespertines, monstrous creatures who are kept at bay only through the diligence of fighters like Everline. However, the concepts of good and evil, monsters and saviors, crumble quickly when Everline meets Ravel, a vespertine who looks an awful lot like a human boy and who is mourning the recent death of his sister at the hands of the wardens. Mutual hatred battles with mutual lust, ultimately turning into genuine connection that challenges everything they've been trained to believe. Everline, impetuous and headstrong, is so driven to get to the place where her mother died (and where a ferocious, cruel monster still lives) that she risks her friends, her place among the wardens, and her own life along the way; thankfully, her vulnerability and raw desperation to understand her own past keep her a sympathetic narrator. The inevitable romance between Ravel and Everline is passionate and swoony, and the blood magic that the two share adds to the heat. Gothic fantasy fans will appreciate the intricate worldbuilding and deliberate pacing that allows for rich descriptions of both arcane magic and the desolate wilds that separate the vespertines from the wardens. There is also potential for some genre-crossing at the hands of romance buffs who don't mind some bloodsucking and claws with their true love. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois","PeriodicalId":472942,"journal":{"name":"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books","volume":"99 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135274317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Secrets We Tell the Sea by Martha Riva Palacio Obón (review) 《我们告诉大海的秘密》玛莎·里瓦·帕拉西奥Obón(书评)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2023.a907092

Amanda Toledo

{"title":"Secrets We Tell the Sea by Martha Riva Palacio Obón (review)","authors":"Amanda Toledo","doi":"10.1353/bcc.2023.a907092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2023.a907092","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: Secrets We Tell the Sea by Martha Riva Palacio Obón Amanda Toledo Obón, Martha Riva Palacio Secrets We Tell the Sea; illus. by Dana San Mar; tr. from the Spanish by Lourdes Heuer. Bloomsbury, 2023 [256p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781547608164 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781547608171 $12.59 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-7 In science class, ten-year-old Sofía sees a picture of a fetus in utero and assumes that everyone must be some kind of fish if they all start out in fluid, so she decides she is a mermaid. Issues with her mom's boyfriend—Sofía can tell he's a barracuda by the way he looks at her—result in Sofía being sent to ocean-side Bahía to stay with her grandmother Tita. In Bahía, Sofía befriends Luisa, a girl with vitiligo whom she recognizes as a fellow mermaid; the two friends find comfort and kinship in each other, until Luisa accidentally drowns as they play in the ocean. The author weaves a rich magical realism story that reads with the simplicity and heart of a fable, taking the complexity of humanity and making it tangible. Sofía's devastation coinciding with typhoons and hurricanes around town brings in a layer of ambiguous fantasy, but the narrative is anchored in a tragic reality, especially in the occasional adult perspective, such as Luisa's bereaved mother angrily telling Sofía that her mom's real job is a stripper at a bar, rather than the trapeze artist Sofía has always assumed. If the ending reads a little too magical, with a parent finally seeing the light about an abusive romantic partner and immediately working to rectify it, that might be as much a needed and treasured fantasy for some readers as glowing seashells, sea dragons, and mermaids. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois","PeriodicalId":472942,"journal":{"name":"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135274347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Look on the Bright Side by Lily Williams (review) 《看光明的一面》作者:莉莉·威廉姆斯

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2023.a907117

Meg Cornell

{"title":"Look on the Bright Side by Lily Williams (review)","authors":"Meg Cornell","doi":"10.1353/bcc.2023.a907117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2023.a907117","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: Look on the Bright Side by Lily Williams Meg Cornell Williams, Lily Look on the Bright Side; written by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann; illus. by Lily Williams. First Second, 2023 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250834119 $22.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9781250834102 $14.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 7-9 In this graphic novel sequel to Go with the Flow (BCCB 01/20), Williams remains attendant to issues surrounding periods and developing bodies but expands to the messy teen dating scene for friend quartet Abby, Brit, Christine, and Sasha. First love entanglements quickly spur interpersonal drama: Sasha struggles to balance her schoolwork with her new boyfriend, her self-worth plummeting as she hides her failing grades from friends and family. Christine, gay and semi-closeted, sends mixed signals aplenty and works her friends' last nerves as she pines for Abby, who herself is trying to define her relationship to both her sexuality and her activism. In the most enjoyable storyline of the four, Brit finds herself caught in a love triangle with a smooth-talking bad boy and a gruff, erudite romantic straight out of her favorite movie, Pride and Prejudice. (The would-be Darcy turns out to be pro-menstrual equity himself, worried about a trans little brother having access to menstrual hygiene once at their school.) Although informative and with a diverse and LGBTQIA+ inclusive cast, dialogue and dramatic scenes are often stiff and didactic, then overcorrect in youthful saccharinity, and the teens rarely wink with realistic teen humor or savvy. Schneemann's digital art is nevertheless suited to this spirited bunch: the style is loose and cartoon-like, matte with brushed, rounded line work. Growing pains aside, this sequel is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Johnson's The Breakaways or Armstrong's Scout is Not a Band Kid (BCCB 05/22). Author's note on menstruation and gender diversity included. [End Page 78] Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois","PeriodicalId":472942,"journal":{"name":"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books","volume":"58 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135275151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge (review) 伊森·m·奥尔德里奇著(书评)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2023.a907060

Amanda Toledo

{"title":"Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge (review)","authors":"Amanda Toledo","doi":"10.1353/bcc.2023.a907060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2023.a907060","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge Amanda Toledo Aldridge, Ethan M. Deephaven. Quill Tree/HarperCollins, 2023 [240p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063283169 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063283176 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-7 With little beyond a clever mind, a few bits and bobs tucked away in coat pockets, and a skill at seeing how mechanics click together to build something new, Guinevere \"Nev\" Tallow arrives on the crooked doorstep of the gothic Deephaven Academy after receiving a mysterious scholarship. The school seems invigoratingly odd, with course offerings like \"History of Alternative Societies\" and teachers who happily hand over books translating languages purportedly spoken by demons. Nev has a well-founded distrust of adults after a short but full lifetime of disappointments—their mother abandoning them literally, their father emotionally—so it makes sense that after being chased by a wailing, long-clawed beast, Nev and their new friend forego the help of teachers when they decide to unearth Deephaven's secrets. Aldridge employs tremendous skill both in effective pacing and evocative imagery, from the \"autumn-soaked forest\" surrounding Deephaven to the hairraising descriptions of the monsters within it. The promise of mystical horror pays off early and remains consistent, with Deephaven's mysteries unfolding with maximum tension. While sharp and awkward Nev is an easy hero to cheer for, everyone, including some of the duplicitous classmates, builds further fun and wrinkles to the story. Refreshingly, Nev is not the only nonbinary person in the school, and their pronouns are used automatically by others without having to be explained (even mean-spirited kids gender them correctly while being unkind). Between the sumptuous prose, the thrilling frights, and the well-paced plot, this book is sure to thrill middle graders with a taste for magic and goosebumps. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois","PeriodicalId":472942,"journal":{"name":"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135273307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Murder on a School Night by Kate Weston (review) 凯特·韦斯顿《学校之夜谋杀案》(书评)

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Pub Date : 2023-10-01 DOI: 10.1353/bcc.2023.a907114

Wesley Jacques

{"title":"Murder on a School Night by Kate Weston (review)","authors":"Wesley Jacques","doi":"10.1353/bcc.2023.a907114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2023.a907114","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: Murder on a School Night by Kate Weston Wesley Jacques Weston, Kate Murder on a School Night. Tegen/HarperCollins, 2023 [384p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063260276 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063260290 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 8-12 The small town of Barbourough is a relatively uneventful place, at least until feminist [End Page 76] best friends and markedly unpopular high school juniors Kerry and Annie happen upon a dead mean girl asphyxiated by a menstrual cup at a party. Despite the police insisting there was no foul play (after having menstrual cups explained to them), aspiring detective Annie is determined to infiltrate the popular kids and find the killer while Kerry dutifully tags along, with some reservations. Kerry narrates the investigation with the relatable energy of someone who would much rather be at home reading the story she's telling, critical of every character involved instead of anxiously delving into the case herself. Soon enough, however, she's as smitten with one of the prime suspects as she is loyal to Annie, who is annoyingly persuasive when she's not just being annoying in her dogged sleuthing and clout-chasing. As bodies start piling up—blindfolded by pads or with tampon-stuffed ears—Kerry begins to take this menstrual murders mystery a bit more seriously, recognizing that her new beau may not be the killer but that he is at the center of a whole mess of deadly secrets. The bestie protagonists are reliably charming, admirably supportive, and refreshingly transparent about their horny, frustrating, unfair experiences as young women in this Agatha Christie-esque mystery for the Pretty Little Liars set. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois","PeriodicalId":472942,"journal":{"name":"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books","volume":"99 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135273785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0