Frenetic fromage-y fun, with monsters.
It turns out that the series opener’s brain-eating hamsters aren’t the only terrifying surprises the Canadian town of Ravensbarrow has in store for a newly arrived lad with anxiety issues.
Strict warnings not to leave the marked paths around town quickly prove futile as, thanks to recklessly impulsive 5-year-old cousin Milton, Teddy finds himself stumbling into a spooky train yard guarded by an irascible dog the size of a house. He’s soon plunging to the rescue through an eldritch forest when Milton is abducted by a monstrous, shape-shifting worm that’s prone to covering its victims in goo that smells like stinky cheese before dissecting them. Along with the customary gaggle of quirky but steadfast new sidekicks—and those talking hamsters, who make a comeback—Hallett kits his quivering protagonist out with a conscience that’s present as a character in both the dialogue and the manic art. Teddy’s urgent desire to flee town wrestles with unfamiliar feelings of at last belonging to a tight circle of friends. Many readers will be drawn to the monsters, frantic chase scenes, and slime- and muck-spattered cast, but Teddy’s inner conflict and some related family issues add a substantial thematic base. Plus, following the rush of narrow squeaks, he at last shows salutary signs of getting a handle on his tendency to freak out. The cast surrounding the white-presenting lead includes some racial diversity; Milton is adjusting to wearing hearing aids. Final art not seen.
Frenetic fromage-y fun, with monsters. (Comic horror. 8-11)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781773219134
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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