A well-meaning tale of identity laced with unsettling implications.
From hatch day on, Frank strives to make his mother proud.
Frank believes that ducks are the best of all birds, but…is he a duck? He was a late hatcher from an oversized egg, he has huge feet, and he hates snails. His mother tells him that one day he’ll make her proud, but he can’t help feeling jealous of his duck siblings. When several bullying teenage ducks challenge him to seek out amulets to keep a fox away, he eagerly agrees—finally, a way to prove himself! Frank journeys through the forest, encountering dangers and new pals alike. Eventually, he learns the truth: He is a goose. Will he be able to accept his new identity? Ultimately Frank is rejected by the other ducks except for his mother and siblings, and he chooses to leave behind both his family and his new friends and to set off on his own. Though the writing initially feels repetitive, it strengthens as Frank sets off on his quest. Charming spot art adds whimsy. However, while the narrative centers on animals, many will see it as an adoption story and may find it alienating. Frank’s mother seems far more accepting of his brother and sister—something that the author never grapples with—and Frank’s decision to leave could inadvertently send the message that adoptees may never truly belong with their adoptive families.
A well-meaning tale of identity laced with unsettling implications. (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780063311343
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to...
A group of talking farm animals catches wind of the farm owner’s intention to burn the barn (with them in it) for insurance money and hatches a plan to flee.
Bond begins briskly—within the first 10 pages, barn cat Burdock has overheard Dewey Baxter’s nefarious plan, and by Page 17, all of the farm animals have been introduced and Burdock is sharing the terrifying news. Grady, Dewey’s (ever-so-slightly) more principled brother, refuses to go along, but instead of standing his ground, he simply disappears. This leaves the animals to fend for themselves. They do so by relying on their individual strengths and one another. Their talents and personalities match their species, bringing an element of realism to balance the fantasy elements. However, nothing can truly compensate for the bland horror of the premise. Not the growing sense of family among the animals, the serendipitous intervention of an unknown inhabitant of the barn, nor the convenient discovery of an alternate home. Meanwhile, Bond’s black-and-white drawings, justly compared to those of Garth Williams, amplify the sense of dissonance. Charming vignettes and single- and double-page illustrations create a pastoral world into which the threat of large-scale violence comes as a shock.
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to ponder the awkward coincidences that propel the plot. (Animal fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-33217-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
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