A worthy call to unravel a mystery.
Deep in the Shenandoah forest stands Idlewood Manor, where deep-rooted secrets await.
The newly reopened historical mansion now serves as a weekend getaway for a select number of lucky visitors. Among these guests are the Hendersons, thanks to gifted 12-year-old Charlie’s winning a contest. His exuberant 13-year-old sister, Anna, whose parents continually chastise her, can’t wait to explore the manor’s nooks and crannies. Following in the footsteps of her idol, famous early-20th-century explorer Virginia Maines, Anna uncovers a secret passageway to a hidden third floor and, further along, an abandoned tower. Charlie’s exploits lead him to notice hidden numerical codes among the manor’s walls and rooms. Meanwhile, 12-year-old Emily Shaughnessy plans on helping her historian parents on a critical mission to preserve Idlewood Manor as a historical site. All three explorers begin at odds with each other: Emily’s suspicious of anyone derailing her task while Charlie and Anna struggle over the loss of their once-close bond. Soon though, the trio must rely on one another to untangle the mysteries of Idlewood Manor and its ties to Maines’ disappearance. Full of puzzles and intrigue, this is a delectable treat for readers wanting a brainteaser or two in an intricately paced package. Equally amusing is the three young explorers’ implicit battle with the adult guests, who range from bemused roadblocks to the trio’s progress to stealthy thieves. Main characters follow a White default.
A worthy call to unravel a mystery. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-25885-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
