A sweet little magical tale with at least one sequel on the way.
A girl dives down a drainpipe to discover a world of witches, and everybody there thinks she’s one too.
Tiga is sure she isn’t a witch—she doesn’t even know any spells!—but she finds that against her will someone has entered her into the Witch Wars annual contest, and if she doesn’t win she’ll have to go back to the surface world “above the pipes.” Up there she has an awful life with the horrible Miss Heks, who feeds her only water flavored with moldy cheese. But Fran, a tiny fairy, has convinced her to descend through the sink to the wonderful Ritzy City in the land of Sinkville, where Tiga wishes to remain forever. She soon meets Peggy Pigwiggle, a fellow Witch Wars contestant who becomes her friend, in contrast to another competitor, the rather nasty Felicity Bat, who cheats. Fortunately the contest does not involve actual combat. Instead the contestants solve riddles to eliminate their opponents. Pounder’s comic romp froths with eccentric characters and whimsical worldbuilding, while Anderson contributes abundant charming drawings. Nobody’s ever in any real danger, although Tiga, Fran, and Peggy certainly find themselves in some difficult situations. Fun comes from solving their problems. And can Tiga possibly win? Maybe so and maybe not, but readers can be sure everything will come out all right.
A sweet little magical tale with at least one sequel on the way. (Paranormal comedy. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-61963-925-6
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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