Who's the arsonist on the loose in Civil War-era San Francisco? That's the mystery this time for the heroes of The Mark Twain Murders—journalist Mark Twain (the very same) and the 15-year-old urchin/narrator who calls himself "the Duke of Baywater." The Duke, hungry and prowling around warehouses for valuable trash, witnesses an explosion at a chemical factory; the only clue is a nearby van bearing the name of a photographer. So when the fire attracts newsman Mark Twain to the scene, the co-sleuths again team up, with assistance from mustachioed fireman Tom Sawyer. They're just in time to see another fire break out during the parade welcoming a star-actress ("the Pritchard") to the local theater. And, just by coincidence, the theater's tart/sweet old costume-lady, Letty Cleary, has a connection to the mystery-photographer—who seems to be planning bigger, more dangerous fires, aimed at San Francisco's pro-Union establishment. Could it possibly be, then, that the arch-villain is once again Major St. John, the Confederate spy who plotted to rob the San Francisco Mint in The Mark Twain Murders? Yes, indeed, the presumed-dead Major—"so cold and calculating that he was beyond maean"—is still alive, posing as a photographer, and up to no good. He captures the heroes briefly, coolly kills dear Letty. (Her death is a little disturbing in such a light, comic-booky caper.) Escapes, gun-waving, and another capture ensue—as the heroes chase the Major through a society costume-ball. But, though locked up in a burning room, the good guys escape again. . . in time to defuse all the arsonist's infernal contraptions. As before, Yep gives the real Mark Twain little color or substance; the Tom Sawyer character is lackluster too, with no kinship to the fictional lad. (According to the foreword, there was a real S.F. fireman who claimed to have inspired Twain's creation.) But this less elaborate sequel is another bright, quick, folksy adventure—at its best in the period touches, especially the firefighting details.
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1984
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 24, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1984
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
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