Sentimentality battles cruelty in this overdrawn middle-grade novel. Twelve-year-old Hannah begins work at a nearby stable as a way to connect with her father in Iraq; when he comes home missing a leg and emotionally shattered, parallels between him and rescued horses begin. Hannah’s father suffers flashbacks, drinks too much and patrols the house with his assault rifle. Her stepmother moves out, leaving Hannah alone with him. Instead of ensuring Hannah’s safety, the adults at the barn suggest equine therapy. Rorby loads her narrative with graphic descriptions of every possible kind of equine abuse and suffering, without any leavening—even the foal Hannah loves is attacked by dogs. None of the characters come alive (the women at the stable are interchangeable) and many of the details ring false. Would Hannah really not have been told for three months that her father had been injured, for instance? The foals of mares farmed for estrogen, animal hoarders, Barbaro, horses stabbed in Mexican slaughterhouses—it’s all here. Manipulative and overwrought—the last book to give to a horse-mad 13-year-old girl. (Fiction. 12 & up)
Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3478-4
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2010
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy.
A war between gods plays havoc with mortals and their everyday lives.
In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85743-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
SEEN & HEARD
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