A compelling and imaginative bookend to a strong series.
Twelve-year-old Mae Von Rathe and her friends are on a dangerous mission to find people who have disappeared into the otherworldly Dark Sun Side of Blight Harbor.
In a return to the series, this stand-alone prequel takes place during the summer of 1921 and is narrated by Mae, the great-great-aunt of Evie Von Rathe from 2022’s The Clackity. When friends Mae, Lark, Claret, and Brigid discover that Brigid’s cousin Emmi has disappeared, they’re sure that her creepy on-again, off-again boyfriend, Johnny, is responsible. Soliciting the help of ghosts and relying on some magic and supernatural powers of their own, the friends enter a hole in the ground that takes them to the Dark Sun Side, where they face off against magical creatures, ghosts, and threads of the evil that plagued Evie in the original trilogy. Returning fans will enjoy references to the books, but no prior knowledge is required for new readers to enter this haunted world, which comes to life through Senf’s rich, atmospheric writing. The spooks offer high stakes that are framed in a way that’s appropriate for the target audience. Above all, the sisterhood among the girls is touching and feels believably nuanced, highlighting bonds that only time and trust can forge. Cáceres’ eerie black-and-white illustrations appear throughout, helping to bring scenes to life and matching the tone of the story. Lark has light brown skin, and the other girls are cued white.
A compelling and imaginative bookend to a strong series. (Horror. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781665967242
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
Heartwarming fare for young pet owners who feel the love and loyalty going both ways.
Devotion permeates this tale of a small dog who’s swept up in a peasants’ revolt against a greedy king.
Inflamed with righteousness in the wake of yet another tax hike, 12-year-old Tom has defied his parents to slip away and join the revolutionary Reds. Stoutly declaring that he’s a good dog, 5-year-old Rebel chases after him to bring his beloved boy back—and discovers a wide new world beyond the farm, fraught with dangers but also rich in animal friends offering help and advice. Just as beguiling as the furry narrator’s dog’s-eye view of events are his ongoing arguments with Jaxon, a gruff feral hound he meets along the way, who urges him to find his wild inner True Dog. Jaxon’s refusal to be bound by emotional attachments ultimately clashes with Rebel’s big, uncomplicated heart. Following a brush with death, Rebel encounters a mystical Companion, who offers him glimpses of dog heaven; when the climactic battle arrives, Rebel declares, “I get to decide what I do with my one and only life. And if I use it for anything, I’m going to use it for love.” The author brings the odyssey to a satisfactory conclusion with one last, pure affirmation of love. In this story set in an alternate Britain reminiscent of its 17th-century Civil War, Rebel distinguishes humans in the cast by their voices, smell, and dress.
Heartwarming fare for young pet owners who feel the love and loyalty going both ways. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781536246797
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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