A satisfying, moving, smashing finale with a very relevant message.
In the trilogy finale, young apothecary Raffa seeks his own way to save Obsidia’s abused animals and exiled citizens.
This sequel to Cavern of Secrets (2017) deftly introduces the timely theme of intolerance and the importance of caring about people who are different. Raffa escapes from prison in Gilden as the Chancellor banishes all inhabitants of Gilden’s slums to uninhabitable wastelands. Known as Afters because their ancestors fled to Obsidia after the Great Quake destroyed their homelands two centuries before, many of those targeted for persecution often have darker skin than Obsidia’s original “fair-skinned” settlers. Realizing he and his dark-skinned friend Kuma are both at least partly of After descent (his skin is light brown), Raffa’s incensed by the Chancellor’s unjust edict and joins an opposition group secretly evacuating Afters to the Forest of Wonders to prepare to fight. Using his apothecary skills in service of the cause, Raffa concocts temporary-acting botanical weapons and antidotes to protect affected animals. Outnumbered and unarmed, Raffa, Kuma, and assorted animal helpers (including the charismatic talking bat Echo) unite with the Afters in a harrowing standoff against the Chancellor. The thoughtful, suspenseful third-person narration focuses on the resolution of Raffa’s long quest for the moral imperative driving his life and profession. Black-and-white illustrations feature animal characters and key venues.
A satisfying, moving, smashing finale with a very relevant message. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-232744-4
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 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.
