Fair-minded men and strong women in unusual roles make this a standout among quest tales for middle graders.
In the gripping last act of The Mad Wolf’s Daughter (2018), crafty Drest escaped with her life from Faintree Castle—but doing so has made her the prime target in a traitorous plot.
In addition to freeing her da—the Mad Wolf—and her brothers from Faintree Castle, she also saved Emerick, Lord Faintree, from his scheming uncle. They are recovering with friend Tig’s family in Phearsham Ridge when a disguised castle knight infiltrates the town, spreading lies. He is searching for Emerick. And because Drest has become his protector, a price is on her head. The Mad Wolf is determined to protect Drest, but his methods no longer suit her. She, Emerick, and Tig refuse to go on the run, planning instead to take the battle to Faintree Castle. But who’s loyal? Who’s duplicitous? In feudal 13th-century Scotland, powerful alliances are necessary for success, as the thoroughly researched story makes clear, and forging them allows Drest to continue to develop her newfound diplomatic skills, solidifying her reputation as an ingenious, righteous leader. Her position is not an easy one, as the political winds continue to shift, betrayals abound, and battles rage. Magras deftly balances introspection and action as Drest proves herself willing to risk everything—and the result will leave readers cheering.
Fair-minded men and strong women in unusual roles make this a standout among quest tales for middle graders. (glossary, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7352-2929-7
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Kathy Dawson/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
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
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