An exciting, magic-filled story that will leave readers inspired to make a positive impact on the world.
Twins Kinjal and Kiya Rajkumar set off on a journey to another dimension to save the Sky Kingdom’s crumbling ecosystem in this series opener.
The fourth graders are ordinary New Jersey kids. But when Kinjal sees his mom stretch out her arm to catch a bee in a way that is beyond human, he seeks answers in Thakurmar Jhuli, a collection of Bengali folktales that is special to his father. When the kids find the book, a chaos monster appears and steals their beloved dog, Thums-Up. Next, two pakkhiraj, enormous flying horses from the folktales, arrive to whisk Kinjal and Kiya away. They ask for the twins’ help in saving the Sky Kingdom: Princess Pakkhiraj tasks the twins with saving the bees and thereby their ecosystem, setting them off on a grand adventure. Fans of DasGupta’s Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond and Fire Queen series will love returning to the world of those books, but readers need not be familiar with them to enjoy this one. In this fantasy, DasGupta masterfully highlights the importance of pollinators and environmental activism through a mythological lens that is rooted in real-world examples. Tang’s charming grayscale art adds to the sense of wonder and the enchanting worldbuilding that is infused with Bengali cultural elements. The author’s note adds context about the folktale and mythology elements, astronomy, and environmental justice.
An exciting, magic-filled story that will leave readers inspired to make a positive impact on the world. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: July 18, 2023
ISBN: 9781338766738
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
Plays to Rowling’s fan base; equally suited for gifting and reading aloud or alone.
A 7-year-old descends into the Land of the Lost in search of his beloved comfort object.
Jack has loved Dur Pig long enough to wear the beanbag toy into tattered shapelessness—which is why, when his angry older stepsister chucks it out the car window on Christmas Eve, he not only throws a titanic tantrum and viciously rejects the titular replacement pig, but resolves to sneak out to find DP. To his amazement, the Christmas Pig offers to guide him to the place where all lost Things go. Whiffs of childhood classics, assembled with admirable professionalism into a jolly adventure story that plays all the right chords, hang about this tale of loss and love. Along with family drama, Rowling stirs in fantasy, allegory, and generous measures of social and political commentary. Pursued by the Land’s cruel and monstrous Loser, Jack and the Christmas Pig pass through territories from the Wastes of the Unlamented, where booger-throwing Bad Habits roam, to the luxurious City of the Missed for encounters with Hope, Happiness, and Power (a choleric king who rejects a vote that doesn’t go his way). A joyful reunion on the Island of the Beloved turns poignant, but Christmas Eve being “a night for miracles and lost causes,” perhaps there’s still a chance (with a little help from Santa) for everything to come right? In both the narrative and Field’s accomplished, soft-focus illustrations, the cast presents White.
Plays to Rowling’s fan base; equally suited for gifting and reading aloud or alone. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-79023-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
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