An often charming middle-grade adventure story with an intriguing angle.
In Johnson’s fantasy series-starter for middle-grade readers, the Age of Battles is over, but a 9-year-old hero is destined to rise to a heroic destiny.
Young Chloe’s father, the mayor of Schlafendorf, had a vision at her birth that she was fated to become a hero. Her parents have tried to keep this information from her, but she learns it anyway, “because parents rarely realize when their children are listening.” Since she’s picked up on her fate, her best friend, Thomas, has been putting her through training to prepare. So far, this has mostly involved such things as staging mock battles with other children and going on an unplanned chase after escaped piglets. But when an unnamed wizard suddenly arrives in town from the Outlands, it’s clear that he’s a harbinger of change and that Chloe’s time must be coming soon. Although the townsfolk are thrilled by his arrival, the wizard is less enthusiastic; he doesn’t remember why or how he arrived in Schlafendorf, but he does know that he erased his own memories on purpose. He also knows more about the inner workings of the town than its inhabitants do. Readers slowly learn that there’s more to the world of Schlafendorf than meets the eye, as references to a “program” and other elements establish that it’s not a generic medieval setting. The wizard gets pulled into town life, as the mayor simply won’t let him stay on the sidelines, and Thomas is determined to enlist him in Chloe’s heroic preparations. Filled with endearing and quirky characters, such as the mayor with his odd speech flourishes (such as the term mysterical) and an unfailingly polite bridge troll, the cast is well rounded and compelling. The story moves quickly, bouncing from character to character, but the big action scene doesn’t occur until the very end, and questions about the logistics of the program and the wizard’s presence remain unanswered in this initial installment.
An often charming middle-grade adventure story with an intriguing angle.Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781949212365
Page Count: 198
Publisher: Epic Spiel Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
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
BOOK REVIEW
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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