As monsters go, the amautalik is a satisfyingly disgusting and scary one, and this introduction should appeal to a broad...
Among the perils of the Arctic is the amautalik, a terrifying, child-snatching ogress.
This introduction to the lore of the amautaliit offers a brief overview of the creatures’ physical characteristics (huge, filthy, and ugly), habitat (underground), and accessories—typically, an amautalik carries a basket on her back, made of driftwood and bones and lined with rotting seaweed in which giant insects make their own homes. Christopher then offers two stories, the first fairly lengthy. Two naughty boys and a quiet little girl are snatched by an amautalik and carried away in her basket. Kunaju, the girl, keeps her head, and when her amulet turns into a magic snow bunting that distracts the ogress, she leads the two boys back home. In the second story, a clever orphan boy uses his wits to scare another amautalik away. The book closes with a four-page gallery of other Arctic monsters. MacDougall contributes pencil sketches and lush oil paintings of tundra, children, and monsters, as well as lovingly depicted and extremely icky giant bugs. Inuktitut words are defined in footnotes, along with pronunciations; in a particularly graceful design choice, a tiny ulu (a curved knife traditionally used by women) substitutes for an asterisk. There are no source notes or bibliography, but the author is a Nunavut resident and student of Inuit lore.
As monsters go, the amautalik is a satisfyingly disgusting and scary one, and this introduction should appeal to a broad range of middle-grade readers. (Folklore. 8-12)Pub Date: June 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-927095-79-9
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
Funny delivery, but some jokes really miss the mark.
An animal ghost seeks closure after enduring aquatic atrocities.
In this sequel to The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter (2020), sixth grader Rex is determined to once again use his ability to communicate with dead animals for the greater good. A ghost narwhal’s visit gives Rex his next opportunity in the form of the clue “bad water.” Rex enlists Darvish—his Pakistani American human best friend—and Drumstick—his “faithful (dead) chicken”—to help crack the case. But the mystery is only one of Rex’s many roadblocks. For starters, Sami Mulpepper hugged him at a dance, and now she’s his “accidental girlfriend.” Even worse, Darvish develops one of what Rex calls “Game Preoccupation Disorders” over role-playing game Monsters & Mayhem that may well threaten the pair’s friendship. Will Rex become “a Sherlock without a Watson,” or can the two make amends in time to solve the mystery? This second outing effectively carries the “ghost-mist” torch from its predecessor without feeling too much like a formulaic carbon copy. Spouting terms like plausible deniability and in flagrante delicto, Rex makes for a hilariously bombastic (if unlikable) first-person narrator. The over-the-top style is contagious, and black-and-white illustrations throughout add cartoony punchlines to various scenes. Unfortunately, scenes in which humor comes at the expense of those with less status are downright cringeworthy, as when Rex, who reads as White, riffs on the impossibility of his ever pronouncing Darvish’s surname or he plays dumb by staring into space and drooling.
Funny delivery, but some jokes really miss the mark. (Paranormal mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5523-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
Offers a hauntingly truthful view of secrets and strength.
A tale of survival, friendship, and the strength that comes from overcoming fears.
Middle schooler Jac is dealing with the fallout of a real-life nightmare: childhood cancer. But it’s not just the fear of recurrence that she has to handle, but the reality of surviving and carrying the burden of her mom’s constant worry. When Jac discovers a large house that wasn’t there before looming at the end of a street in her suburban New Jersey neighborhood, she worries it’s a hallucination, which could mean a recurrence of her illness. But after her best friend, a boy named Hazel, sees the house too, her sense of adventure takes over. Provoked by a couple of bullies who dare them to enter and then follow them inside, Jac and Hazel explore the house and are met with surprises—like a key with Jac’s likeness on it—that suggest her connection to this strange and terrifying place is personal. Before long, the kids realize they are trapped inside. Shocks follow with every new door they open as they search for an exit and discover ever increasing frights. Delightfully nightmarish visions chase Jac, offering the feel of a thrilling game with twisted and terrifying imagery, as she navigates the house, seeking to understand her connection to this unusual place in this emotionally resonant story. Characters seem to default to White.
Offers a hauntingly truthful view of secrets and strength. (Paranormal. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-313657-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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.
