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THE LONGEST NIGHT IN EGYPT

Name: THE LONGEST NIGHT IN EGYPT
Author: David Anthony Durham
ISBN: 9781643796093

From the Shadow Prince series , Vol. 2

by David Anthony Durham ; illustrated by Eric Wilkerson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2023

Nile-style adventures; just the ticket for Percy Jackson fans.

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Young hero Ash literally finds himself in the belly of the beast after evil Lord Set feeds the sun god Ra to a giant serpent.

Newly designated to be the prince’s shadow, or lifelong bodyguard, for Pharaoh Neferu’s reckless preteen son, Prince Khufu, Ash finds his work cut out for him—even before malign prankster Set pitches Ra down Apep’s throat to cut off the solar power on which Egypt’s advanced technology depends, traps all the other gods in a temple, and enlists an army of demons to terrorize the mortal population. With Thea, a young mortal attendant of Ra’s who wears leg braces and has her hair in Afro puffs, as guide, Khufu, Ash, and allies ride the magic Night Barge down into Duat, the underworld, to Apep’s lair on a rescue mission that takes them past hazards ranging from meerkats with blinding flashbulb butts to a demon who poses deadly riddles. From there it’s back to the surface to send Lord Set and his minions packing (Set: “I’m out of here”) and free the gods to restore order. Along with exhilarating solar-powered speed racing and magically produced ice cream, Durham tucks in plenty of brisk but bloodless fighting, new hints of orphaned Ash’s heritage and hidden powers of cognitive magic, and an enigmatic prophecy that heralds future exploits for him and a growing cast of friends, foes, and immortals.

Nile-style adventures; just the ticket for Percy Jackson fans. (glossary of the gods) (Fantasy. 9-13)

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023

ISBN: 9781643796093

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Tu Books

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL

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THE LION OF LARK-HAYES MANOR

by Aubrey Hartman ; illustrated by Christopher Cyr ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023

A pleasing premise for book lovers.

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A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.

When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)

A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)

Pub Date: May 2, 2023

ISBN: 9780316448222

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

From the School for Good and Evil series , Vol. 1

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2013

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.

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Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.

Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)