An endearing, energetic take on chapter books for transitioning readers.
If your favorite friend was annoyed at you while your single mom was on a business trip, wouldn’t a new puppy make everything feel all right again?
Isabel and Zoë are such favorite friends at school that even their coats, intertwined in their side-by-side cubbies, are best buddies. Izzy and Zoë also share a madcap sense of humor that includes toilet-paper tails and pretend-dirt sandwiches. Sometimes this lands them in the principal’s office, which Zoë hates. Luckily, Izzy’s caring, live-in nanny and loving, adoptive mom determine that Izzy’s exuberant impulsiveness suggests that she has “a lot of love” to spread for just a three-person family, so they get a puppy for her to baby. The dog-adoption process echoes Izzy’s own experience of being adopted, as told to her by her mom. With this title, Adderson, author of the Jasper John Dooley chapter-book series, introduces another series for the age group with a character reminiscent of such icons as Ruby Lu and Clementine. Izzy’s mom presents White, and gap-toothed Izzy has pale skin, straight, black hair, and freckles. Best friend Zoë is a child of color, the school principal is Asian, and Izzy’s nanny is Latinx (cued stereotypically in part by her extreme fondness for the telenovela Love at First Sight). The short and pithy chapters, believable and specific kid language, and Collier’s spunky illustrations make this a promising kickoff to a new series.
An endearing, energetic take on chapter books for transitioning readers. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77138-732-3
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
Extraordinary introductory terror, beautiful to the eye and sure to delight younger horror enthusiasts.
What terrors lurk within your mouth? Jasper Rabbit knows.
“You have stumbled your way into the unknown.” The young bunny introduced in Reynolds and Brown’s Caldecott Honor–winning picture book, Creepy Carrots (2012), takes up Rod Serling’s mantle, and the fit is perfect. Mimicking an episode of The Twilight Zone, the book follows Charlie Marmot, an average kid with a penchant for the strange and unusual. He’s pleased when his tonsils become infected; maybe once they’re out he can take them to school for show and tell! That’s when bizarre things start to happen: Noises in the night. Slimy trails on his bedroom floor. And when Charlie goes in for his surgery, he’s told that the tonsils have disappeared from his throat; clearly something sinister is afoot. Those not yet ready for Goosebumps levels of horror will find this a welcome starter pack. Reynolds has perfected the tension he employed in his Creepy Tales! series, and partner in crime Brown imbues each illustration with both humor and a delicate undercurrent of dark foreshadowing. While the fleshy pink tonsils—the sole spot of color in this black-and-white world—aren’t outrageously gross, there’s something distinctly disgusting about them. And though the book stars cute, furry woodland creatures, the spooky surprise ending is 100% otherworldly—a marvelous moment of twisted logic.
Extraordinary introductory terror, beautiful to the eye and sure to delight younger horror enthusiasts. (Early chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781665961080
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D.
Breakout kid barber J.D. embraces a summer of opportunity.
Readers met J.D. Jones just as he took his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, by storm, winning himself community acclaim and a chair at the revered Hart and Sons barbershop in series opener J.D. and the Great Barber Battle(2021). What’s next for the haircut prodigy? School’s just getting out, and there’s so much life happening outside—if only one can escape home learning with the grandparents. J.D.’s sister, Vanessa, brings along multitalented mutual friend Jessyka to share an ambitious challenge: “Let’s start a YouTube channel!” Can they get millions of views and wow the whole world? They are already amazing at haircuts and hairstyles—all they need is to learn how to make a great YouTube video. The story models strategies for scripting short videos reflecting the templates of viral YouTube hair tutorials, inviting readers to not only see the journey of the characters, but maybe also practice these skills at home. This book is bound to educate all about some of the most storied and cherished traditions within the Black community. Bringing in Vanessa is a great touch to extend the series across gender, and hopefully she’ll get a chance to lead her own adventures. This book blends skill-building, entrepreneurship, and strong family values to give young Black children visions of what’s possible when they follow their passions and embrace their community.
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11155-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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