A sure pleaser for veteran fans of the series and likely to bring in a flush of new ones to boot.
A biblio-brangle delighting young readers and their librarians for a decade has been seamlessly recast into graphic format.
The overall storyline remains the same: A group of seventh graders get an exclusive preview of a new town library built by gazillionaire game designer Luigi Lemoncello, during which they solve ingenious conundrums based on bookish clues while getting at least a sampling of library services and organization and (except for slimy, manipulative Charles Chiltington, that is) learning to share knowledge and work together. Along with cranking up the original escapade’s already lively pacing and incorporating its many actual book covers, rebuses, and other visual clues in his bright, crisply drawn panels, Holgate endows the setting’s spacious stacks, rooms, architectural details, and high-tech features with dazzling appeal. Better yet, his gangly, expressive figures not only glow with individual character but bring the cast’s racial and cultural diversity to the fore. Best of all, though some of the book talk had to go to make the dialogue fit, references to essential reading—from Maya Angelou to Pseudonymous Bosch, Treasure Island to Walter the Farting Dog—remain strewn throughout the games, solutions, dialogue, and backgrounds.
A sure pleaser for veteran fans of the series and likely to bring in a flush of new ones to boot. (Graphic mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780593484852
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
A candid and powerful reckoning of history.
Summer is off to a terrible start for 12-year old African-American Candice Miller.
Six months after her parents’ divorce, Candice and her mother leave Atlanta to spend the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, at her grandmother’s old house. When her grandmother Abigail passed two years ago, in 2015, Candice and her mother struggled to move on. Now, without any friends, a computer, cellphone, or her grandmother, Candice suffers immense loneliness and boredom. When she starts rummaging through the attic and stumbles upon a box of her grandmother’s belongings, she discovers an old letter that details a mysterious fortune buried in Lambert and that asks Abigail to find the treasure. After Candice befriends the shy, bookish African-American kid next door, 11-year-old Brandon Jones, the pair set off investigating the clues. Each new revelation uncovers a long history of racism and tension in the small town and how one family threatened the black/white status quo. Johnson’s latest novel holds racism firmly in the light. Candice and Brandon discover the joys and terrors of the reality of being African-American in the 1950s. Without sugarcoating facts or dousing it in post-racial varnish, the narrative lets the children absorb and reflect on their shared history. The town of Lambert brims with intrigue, keeping readers entranced until the very last page.
A candid and powerful reckoning of history. (Historical mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-545-94617-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
PROFILES
Like the pathfinders, readers will be crying, “Plus Ultra!” and hoping for the next adventure.
Five intrepid, young pathfinders explore the environmentally volatile Windrose Valley in search of a fabled treasure.
Deep in Windrose Valley awaits an adventurous summer at Camp Pathfinder, founded by a renowned, eccentric pioneer named Henry Merriweather. Merriweather’s fixation on finding the legendary Windrose treasure serves as a grand catalyst for the campers’ quest. The eclectic group of campers—newcomer Kyle, history buff Beth, zany magician-in-training Harry, cheerleader/math queen Vic, and tinkerer Nate—sets off, running all over town to find Merriweather’s baroque tile markers. Eventually, their efforts lead them to the Merriweather Estate, where the campers slowly uncover the mystery behind the Moon Tower catastrophe. Shortly after the bizarre incident, Merriweather disappeared, and the town’s fortunes failed. As the adolescent pathfinders near the trail toward the Moon Tower and inch ever closer to the treasure, they learn more about the mythical Merriweather and his infamous obsession. Sedita, Seraydarian, and Hamaker’s series debut zips along nicely, mixing cryptic teases with affable characters. Though the quieter moments rarely make much of an impact, the authors’ exposition-heavy worldbuilding incites enthusiasm for the campers’ endeavor. The hints of magic in the snappy illustrations add another layer of allure. Featuring flashes of time slips and a racially diverse cast, this graphic novel hits all the right spots for the inevitable sequel.
Like the pathfinders, readers will be crying, “Plus Ultra!” and hoping for the next adventure. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-425-29186-3
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
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