Those in it for the long haul, particularly loyal fans of Baker’s other books, will appreciate this lighthearted search for...
In this new middle-grade series from princess aficionado Baker (A Question of Magic, 2013, etc.), a dissatisfied tooth fairy wants to make a difference in a fairy-tale world.
Cory hates her tooth-fairy job. She believes her true calling is to help people. Swiping teeth from a child’s pillow just won’t cut it. Against her tooth-fairy mother’s wishes, she quits the Tooth Fairy Guild, an unthinkable move since this job is a lifetime commitment. After a falling-out with her mother, Cory goes to live with sweet Uncle Micah, her pet woodchuck, Noodles in tow. She begins each day answering help wanted ads. Her odd jobs range from babysitting Humpty Dumpty to ridding Marjorie Muffet’s house of pesky spiders. Meanwhile, Marjorie and other friends ask Cory to set them up on dates, but Cory’s not convinced she has a knack for that. While it’s fun to see the fairyland characters make appearances, Cory’s jobs feel somewhat arbitrary and take up a good portion of the book. Readers may start to wonder when the matchmaking will begin, as the title suggests—a longueur possibly explained by the fact that this kicks off a series. Cory’s journey becomes most interesting, near the end of the book, when she searches for an estranged family member and discovers a life-changing secret.
Those in it for the long haul, particularly loyal fans of Baker’s other books, will appreciate this lighthearted search for one’s true self. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61963-140-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Plays to Rowling’s fan base; equally suited for gifting and reading aloud or alone.
A 7-year-old descends into the Land of the Lost in search of his beloved comfort object.
Jack has loved Dur Pig long enough to wear the beanbag toy into tattered shapelessness—which is why, when his angry older stepsister chucks it out the car window on Christmas Eve, he not only throws a titanic tantrum and viciously rejects the titular replacement pig, but resolves to sneak out to find DP. To his amazement, the Christmas Pig offers to guide him to the place where all lost Things go. Whiffs of childhood classics, assembled with admirable professionalism into a jolly adventure story that plays all the right chords, hang about this tale of loss and love. Along with family drama, Rowling stirs in fantasy, allegory, and generous measures of social and political commentary. Pursued by the Land’s cruel and monstrous Loser, Jack and the Christmas Pig pass through territories from the Wastes of the Unlamented, where booger-throwing Bad Habits roam, to the luxurious City of the Missed for encounters with Hope, Happiness, and Power (a choleric king who rejects a vote that doesn’t go his way). A joyful reunion on the Island of the Beloved turns poignant, but Christmas Eve being “a night for miracles and lost causes,” perhaps there’s still a chance (with a little help from Santa) for everything to come right? In both the narrative and Field’s accomplished, soft-focus illustrations, the cast presents White.
Plays to Rowling’s fan base; equally suited for gifting and reading aloud or alone. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-79023-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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