Full of magic and laughs.
A Peter Pan origin story centering the perspective of Capt. Hook.
The notorious baddie started life as a precocious child in London. In fact, at one point the infant James Hook vanished from his pram when his nurse’s attention was elsewhere. Six days later, after a magical sojourn in Never Land, he was reclaimed by his family—but he continued to long to return there. Years later, disenchanted with his aristocratic life, Oxford-educated James leaves everything behind to become a pirate in hopes that this path will eventually lead him back to Never Land. Entering the world of piracy with loyal servant Smee by his side, James engages in many battles at sea, being attacked by a kraken as well as human enemies and experiencing time moving at a different rate. After Capt. Blackbeard hands his ship over to James to command, James confronts witches and other magical beings, including Tinker Bell. In the vein of other entries in this series that offers alternate perspectives on beloved tales, readers will hear Capt. Hook’s perspective on how his infamous feud with Peter Pan began. This fast-paced, intriguing, and immersive story will capture the attention of its readers with its page-turning adventures and themes of trust and betrayal. Characters read as White.
Full of magic and laughs. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: July 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-02529-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
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