Clever, silly fun.
The helter-skelter misadventures of the blended O’Hero-Smith family—on this and other planets—continue.
While the resident trio of grown-up witches sneak out of the House at the Crossing of the Ways on a supposedly secret mission, resentful young folk Izzabird, K2, Theo, and Mabel set out themselves on a large, stolen (though Izzabird prefers to think of it as “borrowed”) interstellar hoverboard. They hope to prove themselves worthy of not being left out by traveling the Which Ways to an impossibly dangerous planet, leaving behind their sibling, Annipeck O’Hero-Smith, who even at “two and a bit” can animate and control anything made of plastic. (Actually, all of the children plainly have magical Gifts, though some have not yet manifested at this point in the series.) Fortunately, Gifted or not (yet), singly or in groups, the racially diverse clan goes on to prove redoubtable enough to take on even the immensely powerful and treacherous archvillain Vorcxix the Vile. Unfortunately, their hijinks attract the attention of the ruthless Universal Government, which puts all of Earth in danger. As the sort of romp in which nearly everyone has private business, personal frictions, and conflicting agendas, this sequel to Which Way to Anywhere (2023) is action-packed. Cowell illustrates nearly every page with exuberantly inky images of grotesque aliens and monster robots, frantic kids, and explosive arrivals and departures. She also chucks in mind-bending notions for clever readers to wrestle with, such as ice that is simultaneously cold and hot.
Clever, silly fun. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9780316539081
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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
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