Severely overstuffed with themes and subplots but will nonetheless stretch readers’ imaginations.
Thwarting a sinister time traveler’s ingenious scheme to steal great art gives two young strangers a common cause.
Struggling to care for his mom, who’s suffering from serious and undiagnosed health issues, as well as dealing with being lonely and bullied, 12-year-old Maximum Rose-Rodriguez finds himself on an urgent mission. First he finds a cryptic note—in his own handwriting—inside a sandwich from a neighbor. Then he meets mysterious art historian Dr. Syzygy (“but you can call me DZ”), who tells him that Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, which is slated for exhibit at Los Angeles’ nearby Griffith Park Observatory, is in danger—and that saving the painting would also help his mother. Max’s adventures take him on a wild ride that includes multiple trips back to 1889 for meetings with van Gogh himself. Briner packs in so many underdeveloped subplots that her main storyline struggles for visibility. Fortunately, the book includes numerous scene-stealers, including Max’s new friend and ally, Maybe Wells, an exuberant, blue-haired trans girl, as well as a rescued pet octopus and a memorable villain. Even if the baddie’s scheme collapses with convenient ease, the ending will leave art lovers pleased and reassured. Brown-skinned Max’s name cues some Latine heritage, and Maybe presents white.
Severely overstuffed with themes and subplots but will nonetheless stretch readers’ imaginations. (Science fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: March 18, 2025
ISBN: 9780823456444
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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