Publisher's Weekly
A boy champions the rights of an HIV-positive teacher; PW found the ''highly readable'' novel ''moving as well as convincing.'' Ages 9-13.
The ALAN Review - Jim Brewbaker
In Real Heroes, Marilyn Kaye takes a hard look at what can happen when a popular teacher tests HIV+. Kevin Delaney and his father, a small-town law enforcement officer, have barely survived the departure of Kevin's mother. Life is complicated already, but, when Jeffrey Logan, Kevin's PE teacher, admits that he carries the AIDS virus, the Delaneys' delicate balance is jeopardized. Kevin's father leads a move to have Logan fired; Kevin quietly sympathizes with those who defend him. Real Heroes, aimed at middle schoolers, provides straightforward information about AIDS, about how it is transmitted, and about the fears that too many people, adults and adolescents alike, give in to. Kaye's plotting is believable; her characters, though, are sketchy. Though not a memorable book, Real Heroes will find a deserved readership among curious and concerned upper-elementary and younger teenagers.
BookList - Stephanie Zvirin
Eleven-year-old Kevin finds himself in the middle more often than he'd like. His two best friends don't get along, and neither do his parents. In fact, Kevin's mother has left him and his dad, Charley Delaney, and moved away. Kevin's anger at her and his loyalty to his father, a policeman, whom Kevin has always admired, prevent the boy from even talking about his mom--except to Mr. Logan, the school's new gym teacher. When it's discovered that Mr. Logan has tested positive for HIV, and Charley, a local hero, heads a crusade to have Logan dismissed, Kevin finds himself very much alone and awkwardly in the middle again. Part growing-up story (Kevin discovers his dad isn't perfect) and part social-issue consciousness raiser, the novel includes a standard classroom revelatory scene delineating basic facts about AIDS, with other scenes forthrightly depicting discrimination against gays. Kaye's representation of homosexuality and AIDS as both separate and connected issues isn't entirely successful, but her invitation to think about the issues (subjects not routinely tackled in books for this age group) is clear enough; and Kevin's personal dilemma--his problems with his parents and his sensitivity to his teacher's plight--is engagingly presented. A listing of further resources, including a few books (some adult), hot-line numbers, and some videos, is appended.
Genre: Children's Fiction
A boy champions the rights of an HIV-positive teacher; PW found the ''highly readable'' novel ''moving as well as convincing.'' Ages 9-13.
The ALAN Review - Jim Brewbaker
In Real Heroes, Marilyn Kaye takes a hard look at what can happen when a popular teacher tests HIV+. Kevin Delaney and his father, a small-town law enforcement officer, have barely survived the departure of Kevin's mother. Life is complicated already, but, when Jeffrey Logan, Kevin's PE teacher, admits that he carries the AIDS virus, the Delaneys' delicate balance is jeopardized. Kevin's father leads a move to have Logan fired; Kevin quietly sympathizes with those who defend him. Real Heroes, aimed at middle schoolers, provides straightforward information about AIDS, about how it is transmitted, and about the fears that too many people, adults and adolescents alike, give in to. Kaye's plotting is believable; her characters, though, are sketchy. Though not a memorable book, Real Heroes will find a deserved readership among curious and concerned upper-elementary and younger teenagers.
BookList - Stephanie Zvirin
Eleven-year-old Kevin finds himself in the middle more often than he'd like. His two best friends don't get along, and neither do his parents. In fact, Kevin's mother has left him and his dad, Charley Delaney, and moved away. Kevin's anger at her and his loyalty to his father, a policeman, whom Kevin has always admired, prevent the boy from even talking about his mom--except to Mr. Logan, the school's new gym teacher. When it's discovered that Mr. Logan has tested positive for HIV, and Charley, a local hero, heads a crusade to have Logan dismissed, Kevin finds himself very much alone and awkwardly in the middle again. Part growing-up story (Kevin discovers his dad isn't perfect) and part social-issue consciousness raiser, the novel includes a standard classroom revelatory scene delineating basic facts about AIDS, with other scenes forthrightly depicting discrimination against gays. Kaye's representation of homosexuality and AIDS as both separate and connected issues isn't entirely successful, but her invitation to think about the issues (subjects not routinely tackled in books for this age group) is clear enough; and Kevin's personal dilemma--his problems with his parents and his sensitivity to his teacher's plight--is engagingly presented. A listing of further resources, including a few books (some adult), hot-line numbers, and some videos, is appended.
Genre: Children's Fiction
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