Delightful, with just the right touch of magic.
It is Addie’s turn with the magic bracelet in this installment of the Best Wishes series.
Ten-year-old Addie Asante, a fifth grader in Columbus, Ohio, tells her tale in a letter to an unknown Lucy. Sandwiched in the middle between bossy, studious older sister Sophie, 12, and indulged little sister Camille, 5, “go-with-the-flow” Addie is used to suppressing her own desires to keep the peace with friends and family. When a mysterious package arrives with the bracelet and instructions, she puts it on at once, ignoring an enclosed warning from Becca, the previous holder of the bracelet, until it is too late. When, in an argument with Sophie, Addie wishes she weren’t the middle sister, the bracelet tightens, then glows and warms, and suddenly, the sisters have switched bodies—Addie is Sophie, Sophie is Camille, and Camille is Addie. Mayhem, confusion, twists and turns, and even laugh-out-loud hilarity ensue as each sister tries to cope with the changes. Addie can text with Becca for more information and warnings (including about the strange blond woman who wants the bracelet) but must find the solution herself. Of course, there’s a happy, heartwarming ending as Addie and her sisters share their feelings and come to understand each other. Now it’s Lucy’s turn. Addie and her family present Black in Vee’s drawings; Becca is Jewish and light-skinned.
Delightful, with just the right touch of magic. (Fantasy. 8-11)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-338-62828-9
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
BOOK TO SCREEN
File under “laugh riot.”
A rogue spell-check program’s bid to transform all life-forms into that eminently useful office item, the paper clip, touches off a fresh round of lunar lunacy.
Predicated on the entirely reasonable premise that eliminating all spelling and grammar errors everywhere would logically lead to the necessity of exterminating carbon-based life in the universe, this third series entry combines high stakes with daffy banter and daring exploits. CheckMate—a chipper, jumped-up editing program—has invented the Transmogratron, a giant laser that will fulfill its ultimate goals in both the cyber world and “meatspace.” Facing challenges as random as prankster lunar unicorns and a disarmingly motherly Motherboard, scowling First Cat joins a motley crew of diversely carbon- and silicon-based allies, led by the pearlescent Queen of the Moon. They’re in a race to the finish—diverted occasionally by, for instance, a relentlessly punny comic-book interlude featuring a pair of literal and figurative Pool Sharks. They ultimately triumph thanks to teamwork and moxie. Following a celebratory party and toasts to “new friends…and steadfast comrades” (and, of course, “MEOW”), the story’s energetic, brightly colored panels close with a reveal of the next volume. (“I always hate it when comics end by announcing a sequel. SO CRINGE!” declares an authorial stand-in.) It can’t come too soon.
File under “laugh riot.” (Graphic science fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780063315280
Page Count: 272
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to...
A group of talking farm animals catches wind of the farm owner’s intention to burn the barn (with them in it) for insurance money and hatches a plan to flee.
Bond begins briskly—within the first 10 pages, barn cat Burdock has overheard Dewey Baxter’s nefarious plan, and by Page 17, all of the farm animals have been introduced and Burdock is sharing the terrifying news. Grady, Dewey’s (ever-so-slightly) more principled brother, refuses to go along, but instead of standing his ground, he simply disappears. This leaves the animals to fend for themselves. They do so by relying on their individual strengths and one another. Their talents and personalities match their species, bringing an element of realism to balance the fantasy elements. However, nothing can truly compensate for the bland horror of the premise. Not the growing sense of family among the animals, the serendipitous intervention of an unknown inhabitant of the barn, nor the convenient discovery of an alternate home. Meanwhile, Bond’s black-and-white drawings, justly compared to those of Garth Williams, amplify the sense of dissonance. Charming vignettes and single- and double-page illustrations create a pastoral world into which the threat of large-scale violence comes as a shock.
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to ponder the awkward coincidences that propel the plot. (Animal fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-33217-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
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