A lighthearted camp romp with just enough danger and misadventure to keep the pages turning.
Eleven-year-old Zack Wilson has dreamed of summer camp his whole life, and here he is at Camp Wolf Trail having the time of his life in this debut volume in the Boys Camp series.
There’s a map challenge, swim tests, breakfast cleanup duty, an expedition looking for animal tracks and a mistake that could cost Zack the trust and friendship of his new Birch Cabin buddies—and that’s just the first day at summer camp. The Outdoor Adventure Guide has always been Zack’s favorite book, in which a city boy like him could learn everything about the great outdoors—navigating by the stars, using a compass or starting fires. But it lets him down when he most needs it, and Zack must learn a lesson about taking a stand and owning his mistakes. Later, on a mountain hike, the lesson learned comes into play once again, and in a short time, Zack goes from chump to hero, and camp now feels like where he belongs, among his new friends. Combining simple, fast-paced prose, a third-person voice and italics to indicate Zack’s thoughts, Dokey crafts a high-spirited, good-natured story of a young boy finding his place in the camp world.
A lighthearted camp romp with just enough danger and misadventure to keep the pages turning. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: May 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-62087-528-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson’s special-ed class, aka, “the junkyard.” But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco’s trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha’s group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story’s warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author’s note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock”...
The theme of persistence (for better or worse) links four tales of magic, trickery, and near disasters.
Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists. In the nearly wordless “Hip Hop Wish,” a frog inadvertently rubs a magic lamp and finds itself saddled with an importunate genie eager to shower it with inappropriate goods and riches. In the title tale, an increasingly annoyed music-hating witch transforms a persistent minstrel into a still-warbling cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig, duck, and rock in succession—then is horrified to catch herself humming a tune. Athesius the sorcerer outwits Warthius, a rival trying to steal his spells via a parrot, by casting silly ones in Ig-pay Atin-lay in the third episode, and in the finale, a painter’s repeated efforts to create a flattering portrait of an ogre king nearly get him thrown into a dungeon…until he suddenly understands what an ogre’s idea of “flattering” might be. The narratives, dialogue, and sound effects leave plenty of elbow room in Blocker’s big, brightly colored panels for the expressive animal and human(ish) figures—most of the latter being light skinned except for the golden genie, the blue ogre, and several people of color in the “Sorcerer’s New Pet.”
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock” music. (Graphic short stories. 8-10)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-59643-750-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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