Thoroughly bloodless
A pair of twins has a scary adventure with their new puppy.
Readers primed by the title to think this book will be about an abandoned puppy rescued through adoption will quickly readjust their expectations when they learn that cocker spaniel Cooper was purchased from a breeder and will then spend the next 80 pages wondering when the rescue might occur. Since these 80 pages are almost completely devoid of excitement, they will be forgiven their increasing skepticism. Alex and Becky, white 9-year-old twins, are exemplary pet owners. They take Cooper to obedience school, they refrain from leash walking Cooper till he’s 5 months old, they never take him off the leash outside the backyard. This tedious adherence to best practices extends to the rest of their lives: when they go on a beach vacation, they wear sunscreen, wait after they’ve eaten before swimming, and stay in the shallows. “Careful” and “carefully” are their watchwords. The only thing these two goody-goodies do that’s even slightly interesting is bicker, which is how they happen to drop the leash next to a cliff edge, at last setting into motion the calamity that leads to the titular rescue—effected by the Coast Guard, because doing it themselves would, of course, be unsafe. Publishing simultaneously are Sammy the Shy Kitten, The Secret Kitten, and The Tiniest Puppy.
Thoroughly bloodless . (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-402-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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