Harry Holdsworth, nine, inherits a 40-year-old parrot from a great-uncle who was a professor of linguistics across the ocean in New York. Initially nonplussed by the bequest—since he's not interested in birds, knows that talking parrots only "parrot" without understanding, and fears he'll be stuck with the care of this one for decades to come—Harry is delighted to discover that Madison (Uncle George named his fourth parrot for the fourth President) not only talks with humor and erudition but understands more than most people, a secret Harry and his parents agree to keep to themselves in order to be free of publicity. The first half of the book is a delicious exploration of what it's like for a nice family to be augmented by a genial old parrot with a fund of gourmet recipes, a wicked cleverness at Monopoly and crossword puzzles, and the ability to do a perfect Bogart imitation. When burglars break in, Mad prevents a theft but is kidnapped; then, after several adventures complicated by his wish to keep his intelligence secret, he manages to contact Harry (collect) from a telephone booth and find his way home—but not before Dad has made the mistake of providing a substitute parrot, Fweddy, whose apparently unintelligent remarks are limited to such precious phrases as "Tebbly tebbly sowwy." Much as the Holdsworths have learned about not prejudging in their experiences with Mad, Fweddy has a couple of surprises for them, and so, still, does Mad, in this leisurely, charming fantasy. Although stingy center margins may invite spine cracking, this is otherwise an attractively designed book with plenty of white space and appropriately humorous line drawings. Children who enjoy Charlotte's Web or A Cricket in Times Square will love Mad—the British setting makes his Bogart imitations all the funnier. This would be great to read aloud.
Pub Date: Jan. 21, 1987
ISBN: 0141302577
Page Count: 107
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1987
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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