In the vein of the gifted New Zealander's Great Piratical Rumbustification, a pair of fantastical comedies. Bassington lives with his butler on Barleycorn Island; having been left birthday-less by his parents (a burglar and a black sheep), he contrives to steal everyone else's. But, in a series of events recounted with satirical and verbal wit reminiscent of W.S. Gilbert, everyone else (including the butler's 99-year-old erstwhile beloved) wrap themselves as presents, are delivered to Bassington, and conduct a trial in which it develops that he is not condemned to repeat his parent's villainy but only their association with the letter B that cavorts through his story. The Headmistress's wickedness ranges from false eyelashes to multiple marriages and toting a handgun (ironically termed a Peacemaker); she runs a school for wealthy girls, masquerading (with the help of quick costume changes) as the entire staff. There is some nonsense about a volcano that erupts diamond-laced custard, and more complications than could possibly be summarized here. Unabashedly slapstick, Mahy's turns of plot are genuinely funny and appealing; her alliterations, inspired nomenclatures, and irrepressible logic are an engaging demonstration of the delights of wordplay. Chamberlain's line drawings extend the fun. Fine for a read-aloud or a read-alone.
Pub Date: Aug. 31, 1988
ISBN: 0879237201
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Godine
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1988
Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read...
When a lock-in becomes a reality game, 12-year-old Kyle Keeley and his friends use library resources to find their way out of Alexandriaville’s new public library.
The author of numerous mysteries for children and adults turns his hand to a puzzle adventure with great success. Starting with the premise that billionaire game-maker Luigi Lemoncello has donated a fortune to building a library in a town that went without for 12 years, Grabenstein cleverly uses the tools of board and video games—hints and tricks and escape hatches—to enhance this intricate and suspenseful story. Twelve 12-year-old winners of an essay contest get to be the first to see the new facility and, as a bonus, to play his new escape game. Lemoncello’s gratitude to the library of his childhood extends to providing a helpful holographic image of his 1968 librarian, but his modern version also includes changing video screens, touch-screen computers in the reading desks and an Electronic Learning Center as well as floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stretching up three stories. Although the characters, from gamer Kyle to schemer Charles Chiltington, are lightly developed, the benefits of pooling strengths to work together are clear.
Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read is a winner for readers and game-players alike. (Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-87089-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
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Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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