Review by Booklist Review
In cartoonist Pastis' latest outing, Saint, a self-described "square peg in a round world," fights a noble, if quixotic, battle to stave off change, ripping up For Sale signs all over town, fulminating at the gentrification they portend, and filling in prospective buyers of her cane-using friend Daniel's house on the neighborhood's (fictive) toxic waste, unmarked burials, and frequent burglaries. At first, her efforts, presented in a narrative festooned with deadpan line drawings, come off as both brave and funny, but as they go on, savvy readers will wonder if something else is driving her behavior--and the late revelation of a family tragedy points to why she wants everything to stay just as it always was. In a poignant twist, even Daniel turns out to be not what he seems. The imaginative Saint makes a memorable protagonist and does find some comfort in a neighbor's remark that light from the stars takes a long time to reach Earth: "Helps me to remember that even though things change, the past is still right there with us."
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this deceptively funny illustrated novel about loneliness and grief, Pastis (the Timmy Failure series) introduces a girl striving to save her town from gentrification by latte-sipping hipsters. Saint has a massive crush on neighbor kid Daniel, who walks with a cane. Her heightened emotions compel her to steal his birthday piñata, throw eggs at his drawings, and show up at his door dressed as a skeleton knight speaking in medieval English ("Ye are my Daniel in Distress," she pronounces). On top of her confusing emotions surrounding her crush, Saint is worried about all the fancy new coffee shops and condos springing up around town; she's especially worried about how these new developments have compelled community members to move away. When she learns that Daniel will soon be leaving, too, she persuades him to aid her in her quest to save the town from developers. Pastis's distinctive, heavily lined b&w illustrations effectively convey the protagonists' depth of emotion via amiable faces composed of two dots for eyes and a c-curve nose, while prose contains his signature absurd humor, which lightens this meditation on mourning. Characters' skin tone reflects the white of the paper. Ages 8--12. Agent: Dan Lazar, Writers House. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--7--Saint (named after the football team) is a face-loving (will eat nothing with a face), piñata-saving girl, who claims her mom breaks all of her promises. The latest proof of this shortcoming comes in the form of Saint's mom not being able to attend an egg toss, which henceforth eliminates the chance of Saint winning the shopping spree at her favorite toy store, Punches Toy Farm. When Punches is demolished to become a coffee shop, it is just one more casualty in their small town. Across the street lives shy, Daniel "Chance" McGibbons, who likes to draw (his imaginary friend, Timmy) and walks with a cane. When Daniel's house goes up for sale, Saint's life partner, a painted turtle named Dr. Rutherford B. Hayes, gives out sage wisdom about life and changes. Daniel and Saint try to thwart buyers from buying the house, knowing it will get bulldozed like much of their town. Readers will rally around Daniel, Saint, and elderly toy store owner Muffins, while seeing the dilemmas faced by Saint's mom and Daniel's uncle, who are struggling to make ends meet and care for their children. With this hilarious book and its comical black-and-white illustrations throughout, Pastis (Timmy Failure) once again reaches out to reluctant readers with a multilayered tale of loss, grief, and growing up. VERDICT With an imaginative ending that will make readers think, there is more than meets the eye in this funny gem.--Michele Shaw
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Imagination and drawing help two grieving children in this illustrated novel by the creator of the popular Timmy Failure series and the comic strip "Pearls Before Swine." Things are not looking up for Saint ("I wasn't named for a bearded guy in heaven. I was named for a football team in Louisiana"). Her favorite toy store is demolished, and her beloved diner closes. It's all part of the gentrification for which she holds her single mother, who works long hours as a real estate agent and frequently breaks her promises, responsible. Saint very much likes reticent neighbor Daniel "Chance" McGibbons, who uses a cane, but first she has to win his friendship after an awkward beginning at his birthday party. When the uncle Chance lives with sells to developers, Saint's determination to save his home penetrates Chance's reserve. The kids' subsequent shenanigans will delight readers. The story is generously illustrated with Pastis' characteristic black-and-white cartoon line drawings, mostly of the two round-headed kids, whose hair and skin are as white as the page. Longtime neighborhood resident Old Lady Trifaldi helps Saint learn to cope with change by looking at the stars from her roof, "to make time go backward." Pastis fills this deceptively simple first-person account with humor, puns, turns, and twists--and the final twist gives this friendship tale its surprising depth. Words and art combine to create a moving story. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
