Discusses an important subject with heart and humor but struggles with uneven presentation.
Can a werewolf-filled fifth grade Shakespeare production restore a boy’s relationship with his older brother?
Nothing seems to be going right for Angus Gettlefinger and his family these days. That’s why he’s determined to do a werewolf version of Hamlet for his class legacy project. With the help of friends and inspiration from bygone movie stars, Angus is sure that when 17-year-old Liam sees this play, his brother will realize that sneaking out to drink and do drugs makes him act like a werewolf. As Angus tries to hang on to his relationship with Liam and make his theatrical dreams come true, he also realizes that his parents’ financial woes threaten their family home in a Los Angeles suburb. Inspired by the author’s struggles with her son’s addiction, this contemporary story relies heavily on Shakespearean references, as well as knowledge of early- to mid-20th-century pop culture. Along with Angus’ first-person narration, scripts in which Angus converses with his idols, including Lon Chaney and Charlie Chaplin, provide insight into his thoughts and feelings. Middle-grade readers may have difficulty connecting with this content, however. The heart and humor of Angus’ story feels genuine, even when the plot and character development come across as stilted and one-dimensional. Main characters present white.
Discusses an important subject with heart and humor but struggles with uneven presentation. (biographies, citations, author’s note, resources) (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781623544331
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Charlesbridge Moves
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
The Baudelaire children—Violet, 14, Klaus, 12, and baby Sunny—are exceedingly ill-fated; Snicket extracts both humor and horror from their situation, as he gleefully puts them through one terrible ordeal after another. After receiving the news that their parents died in a fire, the three hapless orphans are delivered into the care of Count Olaf, who “is either a third cousin four times removed, or a fourth cousin three times removed.” The villainous Count Olaf is morally depraved and generally mean, and only takes in the downtrodden yet valiant children so that he can figure out a way to separate them from their considerable inheritance. The youngsters are able to escape his clutches at the end, but since this is the first installment in A Series of Unfortunate Events, there will be more ghastly doings. Written with old-fashioned flair, this fast-paced book is not for the squeamish: the Baudelaire children are truly sympathetic characters who encounter a multitude of distressing situations. Those who enjoy a little poison in their porridge will find it wicked good fun. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-440766-7
Page Count: 162
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
On equal footing with a garden-variety potato.
The new kid in school endures becoming the school mascot.
Ben Hardy has never cared for potatoes, and this distaste has become a barrier to adjusting to life in his new Idaho town. His school’s mascot is the Spud, and after a series of misfortunes, Ben is enlisted to don the potato costume and cheer on his school’s team. Ben balances his duties as a life-sized potato against his desperate desire to hide the fact that he’s the dork in the suit. After all, his cute new crush, Jayla, wouldn’t be too impressed to discover Ben’s secret. The ensuing novel is a fairly boilerplate middle–grade narrative: snarky tween protagonist, the crush that isn’t quite what she seems, and a pair of best friends that have more going on than our hero initially believes. The author keeps the novel moving quickly, pushing forward with witty asides and narrative momentum so fast that readers won’t really mind that the plot’s spine is one they’ve encountered many times before. Once finished, readers will feel little resonance and move on to the next book in their to-read piles, but in the moment the novel is pleasant enough. Ben, Jayla, and Ben’s friend Hunter are white while Ellie, Ben’s other good pal, is Latina.
On equal footing with a garden-variety potato. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-11866-5
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
