A dreamy, imaginative, and vibrant story full of heart and wordplay.
A story about the power of teamwork, dedication, and how dreams come to be.
Ten-year-old Luna Grande lives with her fathers, Dad and Papa, and Murph, the dog she adores. Each night she has vivid dreams that are brought to life by the Dreamatics, a theater troupe at the Lunarian Grand. There are incredible actors, the Unseen Playwright, the Forty Winks Orchestra, costume designer Tuck, and more—all working together to perform Luna’s dreams. They are a happy ensemble who delight in what they do and who love Luna and her family. But one day, when tragedy strikes in Luna’s waking world, her dreams are replaced by nightmares, and the Dreamatics are supplanted by Coco and the Bad Dreams. However, humble stagehand Dormir is determined to save the theater and give Luna her dreams back. This witty, magical, and touching tale will inspire giggles of delight, appreciation of the inner workings of a theater troupe, and wonder at the behind-the-scenes process of dream-making. At its core, this is a story of dedication, loyalty, love, and friendship that takes readers on a roller coaster of emotions and leaves them feeling warm and fuzzy: “Life is not a dress rehearsal….The curtains are up and you are on, so get out there and give it your best shot.” Papa is cued Latine; Dad and Luna are racially ambiguous.
A dreamy, imaginative, and vibrant story full of heart and wordplay. (cast list) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9780593532225
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
An insubstantial story that offers a prosocial message.
Two boys equally blessed with both talent and ego vie for supremacy in their school’s annual “creative storytelling competition.”
J is “by far the best artist in the entire fifth grade”; K has “become known as the best writer in the entire fifth grade.” Naturally, each one is determined to crush it in The Contest, and each decides an illustrated story is the way to go. The competitive boys try to undermine one another by passing along fake tips for success, each hoping to destroy his opponent’s story. K advises J to “write what you DON’T know” and to use sixth-person narration. “J’s Secrets to Drawing Really Good” are just as catastrophic and include drawing with your nondominant hand and inserting mistakes to keep readers engaged. Creative hijinks ensue. Craft and Alexander have become known on social media for the jocular trash talk they heap on each other; J and K are their fictional child avatars. As an internet bit doled out in small doses, their frenemy-ship is amusing; as a sustained story about storytelling, it’s thin on both character and plot development. Authorial interjections exhort readers to look up 75-cent vocabulary, often used in barbs directed at each other; the latter feel like in-jokes more than playful attempts to engage young readers. Kids may enjoy spotting references to popular children’s authors among the characters’ names, and budding authors and illustrators will benefit from the advice. J and K are both Black; their classmates and teachers are racially diverse.
An insubstantial story that offers a prosocial message. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780316582681
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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