Heart and molé.
What begins as curiosity about the meaning of a word—thanks to a chocolate bar with the word CHOCOLATL imprinted on it—becomes a journey of a lifetime.
Intrigued by the chocolate bar, MJ and Eddie rush to grab the Awesome Enchanted Book (AEB, as they call it) to look up the word’s origin. They learn that chocolatl is an ancient Aztec word, and soon enough the AEB spins its magic, transporting the duo away. MJ and Eddie wind up in vibrant Mexico, where a young girl named Rosa recruits them on a mission to help find her missing Abuelita. Only Abuelita knows the recipe for the special molé that will help Rosa’s family restaurant during Dia de los Muertos. The three young detectives, however, must move quickly. After all, the owner of a competing restaurant covets the molé recipe for himself. Following a series of riddles left behind by Abuelita, MJ, Eddie, and Rosa travel across Mexico—from Frida Kahlo’s La Casa Azul to the rainforests of Jalapa—to find Abuelita and obtain the secret recipe. A candy-flavored etymological romp through a kaleidoscope version of Mexico, this latest episode in the series keeps the word-happy spirit of its predecessor and manages to infuse a sunny strand of humor. Cultural exploration and lively artwork continue this series’ dedication to knowledge-seeking in the name of fun, with a small, diverse cast. (MJ appears Black and Eddie, White.)
Heart and molé. (glossary) (Fiction. 6-10)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72824-085-5
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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