Sinks.
Young dolphin Pearl encounters braggarts, bullies, and friends during her first day at magical dolphin school.
The Coral Cove Dolphin School is where young dolphins go to learn the magical skills they need for their roles as protectors of the ocean. Pearl’s excited on her first day. To help her, Pearl’s father gives her the advice that becomes her didactic motto for the rest of the book: “Always choose kindness.” At school, Pearl quickly makes friends but also encounters Flip, a cardboard character who exists just to brag. Of course Pearl, her new friends, and Flip all end up in the same pod. As the book progresses, the dolphins’ character traits (boastfulness, impetuosity, kindness, etc.) are hammered in repetitively, interspersed with worldbuilding exposition communicated in lectures. At recess with older dolphins, they encounter a bully (no motivations needed—he’s just a bully), who eventually dares Flip to swim alone in an area known for sharks. Sure enough, a shark appears, and the plucky heroes save the day (with the teachers arriving just in time for the danger to have passed). After this bonding experience, Flip no longer brags but is “smart and funny”—readers will have to take the narration’s word for it, though, as it’s just one last instance of telling instead of showing.
Sinks. (Fantasy. 6-9)Pub Date: July 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-75024-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
© 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.
