A superlative volume that combines strong characterization with thrilling action.
With graduation on the horizon, Percy faces new challenges in this second series entry.
It’s October, a month for relishing the crisp air, changing leaves, and “pumpkin-spice burritos,” when high school senior Percy is summoned to the principal’s office to meet his aunt—a mysterious request for someone who doesn’t have an aunt (at least, “not on the human side” of his family). The visitor turns out to be Hecate, the triple goddess of magic, crossroads, and necromancy. She insists that Percy petsit her hellhound and polecat while she’s off enjoying Halloween festivities. Still needing two letters of recommendation if he’s to join girlfriend Annabeth at New Rome University, Percy can’t refuse. As always, Annabeth and Grover are happy to assist, and thus begins an autumnal adventure for the ages. Monstrous mayhem abounds, and characters from past adventures resurface. The localized focus of the action within New York City offers readers an insider’s tour of locales such as Gramercy Park and the historically Greek enclave of Astoria. Reducing the geographical scale of the quests also allows Riordan to focus on Percy’s maturation and introspection. This is arguably the most feminist novel of this universe: Percy reckons with several prominent women from ancient myth whose lives were ruined by men. One of the novel’s most poignant vignettes involves Percy vicariously experiencing the anguish of the destruction of Troy through the psyche of one of its few female survivors.
A superlative volume that combines strong characterization with thrilling action. (Fantasy. 9-14)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9781368107631
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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