by Richard Peck ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2009
According to 12-year-old Bob, “We Barnharts had moved in next door to a haunted house, if a house can be haunted by a living being.” Bob’s first encounter with its owner, Mrs. Dowdel, is inauspicious, as she discovers Bob strung up naked in a spider’s web of fishing line inside her privy. But Mrs. Dowdel offers the gift of friendship to Bob’s six-year-old sister Ruth Ann, and by the end of this 1958 Christmas season, each of the Barnharts will have been touched by gifts she has given. Peck’s challenge in his third Grandma Dowdel novel—Mrs. Dowdel now—is how to make the redoubtable lady the central character when she’s the next-door neighbor. He succeeds admirably, bringing to life each of the five Barnharts and subtly infusing their lives with the presence of their remarkable neighbor. Pitch-perfect prose, laced with humor and poignancy, strong characterization and a clear development of the theme of gifts one person can offer make this one of Peck’s best novels yet—and that’s saying something. (Historical fiction. 10 & up)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3082-3
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2009
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by Scott O'Dell ; illustrated by Ted Lewin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1990
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1990
ISBN: 0-395-53680-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
Categories: CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION
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by Varian Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 5, 2021
Spades is as much a game of partnership and trust as it is about cunning and trash talk, but when the deck seems stacked against Anthony, he’s forced to consider what it means to be a good card player as well as a good (young) man.
Ten-year-old South Carolina native Anthony Arnold Joplin prefers Ant; to his chagrin, however, the nickname “little man” has stuck. He’s short. He gets it. But when his spades partner and best friend Jamal’s constant ribbing leads even to Shirley, the cute new girl from Texas, teasing Ant about his height, he starts questioning his skills, his relationships, and how his so-called best friend makes him feel. Eventually, Ant and Shirley hit it off despite Ant’s being too shy to admit it, but issues in the Joplin household and Jamal’s own volatility put a lot of stress on this budding relationship. Ant’s father is an alcoholic and gambler with a lot of reductive opinions on masculinity that confuse the naturally compassionate and thoughtful Ant. Spades becomes a way for Ant to prove himself to his father and hopefully mend some familial wounds, as well as a compelling allegory for the ways he must navigate some uniquely thorny setbacks. A charismatic omniscient narrator explains the intricacies of the game and its venerable position in Black American culture. Realistic character and community portrayals give a difficult story a great amount of heart. Main characters are Black.
A story about showing great courage and perseverance when life gets shuffled. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-34853-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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