A fun, escapist tale that offers a positive moral.
A middle-grade novel set in a magical land of talking animals and sweet confections.
The O’Rileys’ debut begins on a sad note: Betsy, the Master Sweet Smith of the Lemon Meringue Islands, has just passed away, and the magic pancake pan is about to name her replacement. When the stalwart, unflappable mouse Desdemona learns that the replacement is one Boomish K. Sullivan, she undertakes a journey to track him down. At first, she mistakenly believes him to be the headmaster of Dismal Manor, an orphanage in Briarberry. It turns out that Boomish, a cat, is one of the orphans, and his antics regularly get him and his friends into trouble. On the journey back to the Lemon Meringue Islands, Desdemona attempts to teach Boomish about his new responsibilities, but the cat has a bad habit of not listening. After he gets their ship stuck on a rocky crag in the middle of the ocean, they’re forced to stop at the town of Heckler’s Hunch, where Boomish’s behavior leads to his losing the irreplaceable magic pancake pan to Blackpaw the pirate. Boomish will need to learn to put others before himself in order to recover the pan and save the Lemon Meringue Islands. This lighthearted adventure moves swiftly along, and readers will likely identify with the fun, imperfect Boomish, whose habit of making up words (“An injustimous has happened to our friend that must be justimicated”) adds to the levity. Black-and-white illustrations help bring the anthropomorphized animals and their funny circumstances to life. Overall, the book is suitable for independent readers or as a read-aloud for younger listeners.
A fun, escapist tale that offers a positive moral.Pub Date: May 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-1493502028
Page Count: 196
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A spectacular return to a magical world.
Following the events of Impossible Creatures (2024), a devoted Guardian teams up with a brave princess to fight her power-hungry uncle and save the Archipelago’s dragons from a strange new threat.
Jacques the dragon summons Christopher Forrester back to the Archipelago from the human world: Dragons are dying, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, on the island of Dousha, Princess Anya’s grandfather, King Halam, has been murdered, and her father accused—though she knows he’s innocent. When Christopher and Anya take refuge on the islet of Glimt, the Berserker Nighthand helps them see how their twin missions to save the dragons and free Anya’s father are connected. They work together to create an antidote for the poison that’s killing the dragons and to keep Anya and her father safe from her murderous uncle. Meanwhile, Nighthand and Irian, the part-nereid ocean scholar, pursue their own important secret mission. Divided into three parts—“Castle,” “Dragons,” and “Revenge”—and containing elements of fairy tales, fantasy, and Shakespeare, this story continues the storyline established in the series opener, yet because it introduces new characters and obstacles, it could also stand alone. Dark-blond Anya (“five feet tall and all of it claws”) is a match for white-presenting Christopher, who, though he still misses Mal, finds that “it made a difference to have someone to move through the world with again. A friend changed the feel of the universe.” Mackenzie’s delicate, otherworldly art adorns the text.
A spectacular return to a magical world. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-15)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780593809907
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
PROFILES
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 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.
