Ben Philippe

Aug 27, 2024 | kirkusreviews.com | Gary Schmidt |Ben Philippe |Rae Carson

Lachrymose but brimming also with love and heart. Having lost one beloved foster sibling in Orbiting Jupiter (2015), Jack Hurd faces the devastating prospect of losing another in this equally intense companion volume. Schmidt packs his story with seemingly tough but emotionally vulnerable males circling orphaned Jupiter, who is 3 years old and a charismatic scene stealer.

Jun 1, 2024 | kirkusreviews.com | Ben Philippe |Patricia Mccormick

Young activists set an example for their community in this accessible adventure that conveys both humor and pathos. The Freezies, three determined social outcasts, try to help a quiet man in need. Kai, Leo, and Suleikha (who goes by “Sully”) live in an English village. Some locals, who wish to keep away “squatters and travellers,” quickly become outraged when an unfamiliar van towing a trailer shows up on the common. The driver, Mr. Christaki, plays the violin beautifully.

Mar 23, 2024 | kirkusreviews.com | Hope Jahren |Ben Philippe |Patricia Mccormick

This book soars: Huck Finn has met his match in a wildly appealing, smart, and courageous girl. Celebrated scientist and bestselling adult nonfiction author Jahren has chosen as the subject of her fiction debut the girl Huck Finn describes as “just full of sand…beauty—and goodness too.” Fourteen-year-old Mary Jane is content to live with her mother and grandfather on the Minnesota frontier, shifting from a remote fur-trading outpost in winter to the comforts of Fort Snelling in summer.

Jan 5, 2024 | kirkusreviews.com | Ben Philippe |Patricia Mccormick

When two teen rivals reluctantly take a road trip together, all the rules are broken. Sixteen-year-old Winter Park and 17-year-old Bobby Bae are not friends. Their parents might have become close, bonding as the only Koreans in their North Carolina town, and they might have similar high-achieving goals, but given the choice, Winter would have nothing to do with Bobby. The nemeses even have established rules of engagement to ensure minimal interaction.

Jan 1, 2024 | kirkusreviews.com | David Starr |Ben Philippe |Patricia Mccormick

A thought-provoking title that explores integrity in the era of truth and reconciliation. This novel about a conflict between Indigenous activists and those opposing their request to change the name of a local school offers a model for navigating tough conversations around reconciliation and heritage. Harold Sullivan Secondary School was named after AJ Sullivan’s great-grandfather.