The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.ĭespite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. 12-14)Ī teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas. The wish-fulfilling title and sun-washed, catalog-beautiful teens on the cover will be enticing for girls looking for a diversion. In ECHOES OF WAR, children left behind in Afghanistan, Colombia, Sierra Leone and New York take us into their lives and share their memories, nightmares and dreams. War and violence leave behind the dead, the wounded, the maimed, the victim and the witness. Besides the mostly off-stage issue of a parent’s severe illness there’s not much here to challenge most readers-driving, beer-drinking, divorce, a moment of surprise at the mothers smoking medicinal pot together. Echoes of War: Directed by Joop van Wijk. In the background the two mothers renew their friendship each year, and Lauren, Belly’s mother, provides support for her friend-if not, unfortunately, for the children-in Susannah’s losing battle with breast cancer. Belly’s dawning awareness of her sexuality and that of the boys is a strong theme, as is the sense of summer as a separate and reflective time and place: Readers get glimpses of kisses on the beach, her best friend’s flirtations during one summer’s visit, a first date. “The action and intrigue keep accelerating without any attempt to brake.Han’s leisurely paced, somewhat somber narrative revisits several beach-house summers in flashback through the eyes of now 15-year-old Isabel, known to all as Belly.īelly measures her growing self by these summers and by her lifelong relationship with the older boys, her brother and her mother’s best friend’s two sons. Fans of international political, military, and espionage tales will want to read Grant Blackwood’s novel.” - Midwest Book Review for Wall of Night “Fast-paced and filled with action. . . . At risk: Millions of lives, starting with his own. His mission: follow a trail through the Alps, to the heart of where it all began. His grandfather had been one of the soldiers responsible for stealing Kestrel, and now a group of Bosnian terrorists are trying to force Root to hand it over.Įnter Agent Briggs Tanner. The wife of former CIA director Jonathon Root has been kidnapped, and no one except Root himself knows who carried out the crime or why. Ever since, the deadly substance-code-named Kestrel-has been guarded by the descendants of those four brave men, each with the mission of keeping its existence a secret . . .Ĭhesapeake Bay, United States, 2003. When four Allied soldiers discover a biological weapon that could devastate the world, they take a vow to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() CIA Agent Briggs Tanner is fighting bioterrorists in the Alps in this thriller by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Tom Clancy Duty and Honor.ĭinaric Alps, Bosnian region of Austrian Hungarian Empire, 1918.
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