Kiki and Jacques

July 27, 2015
Jacques, a middle-school student in an economically struggling Maine community, grapples with a boatload of challenges in Ross’s debut novel. When a few Somali families relocate to Jacques’s neighborhood, their presence is noticed, but not appreciated by everyone. Although Jacques was a shoe-in for soccer captain, he suddenly faces tight competition from an incredibly talented Somali boy. More stressful for Jacques, however, are a dangerous older kid threatening him and his family, and a classmate, Lucy, who gives him the silent treatment after he initiates a friendship with a Somali girl, Kiki. To top it off, Jacques’s widowed father has lost his job and is drinking, and his Grandmère’s bridal store, the family’s main source of income, faces closure. With a good heart and a powerful sense of right and wrong (Jacques tells his grandmother, “I have some babysitting money. You can have it”), Jacques is a model for readers facing their own ethical dilemmas. His friendships and social interactions ring true, but the enormity of problems he faces and the book’s picture-perfect resolutions strain credulity. Ages 8–12. Agent: Susan Cohen, Writers House.

August 15, 2015
Soccer becomes a cultural bridge for a Franco-American boy and a newly arrived Somali family in a Maine mill town. Jacques Gagnon and his father have lived with Jacques' grandmother since his mother died, his father sinking into alcohol-fueled depression while Grandmere Jeannette supports the family. Middle schooler Jacques hopes to be captain of the soccer team, but taciturn newcomer Mohamed might challenge him. Mohamed may be unfriendly, but his little sister, Kiki, has got a sparkling smile, and soon she and Jacques enjoy a tentative friendship. Ross tackles a lot here. In addition to Jacques' family and school situations, he must cope with neighborhood petty crook Duane, who seeks to enlist Jacques. Jacques is as earnest as the story he stars in, manfully acknowledging Mohamed's superior skills and holding out the hand of friendship to Kiki even as he tries to resist Duane. A violent confrontation forces Jacques to make a hard choice, but that it will be the right one is never really in doubt. The story is too slim to handle both its characters and its issues. Jacques' many classmates and teammates are hard to distinguish. Ross deserves praise for looking at the many everyday difficulties children must face, but she doesn't give herself time to develop them with nuance. Disappointingly, the vigor and distinctiveness of Jacques' Franco-American culture is flattened, coming across as generically French. A well-meaning novel that aims high but misses. (Fiction. 8-12)

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September 1, 2015

Gr 3-5-Jacques has been bullied by an older boy for years, and lately the older boy has been telling Jacques to do illegal things. Jacques has been trying to avoid the older boy and has resisted him until now. But new pressures come down on the 12-year-old: Jacques's grandmother is having money troubles and may lose her bridal shop, and his father has been drinking more and was fired from his job. When Kiki and her family, refugees from Somalia, arrive in the small Maine town, Jacques starts to look outside himself. He soon becomes friends with Kiki, but her brother, a star soccer player, doesn't approve. Jacques, who had hopes of being the captain of the soccer team, now has to deal with Mohamed, who is a much better player and doesn't seem to like him. Meanwhile, a kind of love triangle develops among Jacques, Kiki, and another local girl. Readers will come away with a sense of cultural differences between the American residents of Jacques's French-speaking town and Kiki's Somali family. Unfortunately, there are too many subplots packed into this slim novel, which lend the overall work a rushed and incomplete feel. The ending is happy, though predictable and a bit too neat. VERDICT An additional purchase for larger collections.-Terry Ann Lawler, Burton Barr Library, Phoenix, AZ

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 Middle-schooler Jacques thinks that if he can just make captain of the soccer team, everything will be all right. His dad, a widower, will be proud of him, stop drinking so much, and get a job so his grandmother won't lose her shop on the main street of their quiet, francophone Maine mill town. But with a sudden surge of Somali immigrants comes Mohamed, who is better than Jacques at soccer, and Kiki, Mohamed's cute younger sister. Now, in addition to doing whatever he can to help his family, Jacques, who is shouldering these burdens largely alone, frets about his place on the team and faces new, confusing feelings about girls. But when bully Duane tries to rope him into a crime, Jacques starts to learn that he can't face everything by himself. Though Jacques' reluctance to tell anyone about Duane's scheme isn't very convincing, debut author Ross sensitively and gently portrays struggles facing the Somali immigrant community. This ultimately rosy picture of an unexpectedly diverse town coming together is heartening and gratifying.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)