Introduces a charming cast of characters whom readers will be eager to see more of.
A headstrong gumshoe takes on her spookiest case yet.
Danica dela Torre, the “youngest sleuth” in the small Canadian town of Renley Crow, worries that her new neighbor and all-around smart kid Kennedy Fang might take all the good cases away from the Unofficial Official Renley Crow Detective Club, the business she began with her best friend, Jack Harrow. Instead, Kennedy enlists their services to determine whether his house is haunted after a crow delivers strange, floating letters, each with cryptic messages addressed to all three kids. Forbidden from meddling with “the Other Side” by her Tita Mary, Dani nevertheless follows the clues to identify the spirit behind the letters, working alongside trusty Jack and secretive Kennedy even as the ghostly phenomena increase in intensity. As the sleuths navigate working together, the letters prod them into confronting uncomfortable truths. Centered on a Filipino protagonist, Lucido’s series opener is at its best when exploring Dani’s familial complications, including her relationship with her increasingly absent parents. Though the supernatural mystery is initially intriguingly spooky and quite compelling, things peter out somewhat. Still, Dani and her friends possess a delightful, often humorous dynamic, bolstered by Cacao’s fine illustrations; the book lays a strong foundation for future installments. Kennedy is cued Asian, while Jack presents white in the artwork.
Introduces a charming cast of characters whom readers will be eager to see more of. (Paranormal mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9781773218960
Page Count: 232
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
A warm bundle of holiday cheer.
In a funny, feel-good tale, 12-year-old twins separated at birth meet by chance and try to pull off a family switch during the December holidays.
The girls, who are cued white, agree that it would be a delicious prank, but each has a personal motive, too: Aviva Davis, who was adopted by a culturally Jewish mom and a Black dad who was raised Christian, wonders what it’s like to celebrate Christmas. Budding author Holly Martin, who was adopted by a white-presenting single mom, sees a golden opportunity to gather experiences for a school writing assignment about facing her fears. In a plot as sweet as a Hanukkah jelly doughnut and twisty as a Christmas cinnamon roll, the pair just manages to bail one another out of a string of sticky situations—both hilarious and otherwise. They both learn something of the customs and meaning of the two holidays while working through tears and laughter—not to mention conflicts sparked by their very different personalities. Everything culminates in a holiday performance at a local senior center that will have readers rising up to cheer them on. Though their history remains tantalizingly mysterious, for the protagonists, who narrate alternating chapters, it’s mission accomplished and more: Aviva emerges feeling more secure in her Jewish identity, while anxious Holly discovers unexpected depths of courage.
A warm bundle of holiday cheer. (song lyrics) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9781250360670
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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
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