Wonder and magic wait to be discovered in these pages.
Bella Gosi’s new town is stranger than it seems.
Bella finds it hard to believe that Shiver-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, can possibly be as special as her mom promises. After all, her friends, dad, and favorite things are still back in New York City. Bella feels a spark of hope when she meets a boy named Cooper in front of the possibly haunted theater her mother purchased earlier this summer. While browsing a trunk full of film reels, the two discover a small bat that transforms into a pale-skinned boy named Bram. Bram, a vampire with a thirst for sugary liquids, got lost after running away from home—like Bella, he was frustrated when his parents decided to uproot the family. So Bella and Cooper decide to help reunite Bram with his family. Character ages are not specified, but illustrations suggest that they are preteens, and Bella’s attempts at agency as she helps Bram are appropriate and understandable for an older child in an unfamiliar setting, trying to discover the boundaries of independence. While the kids face frustrating challenges and sometimes break the rules, they clearly have loving caregivers willing to give them room to grow and be who they are. Dynamic, emotive black-and-white illustrations break up the text; watercolor-esque flourishes of semitonal gray along the edges add visual interest. Bella is tan-skinned in the art, while Cooper presents Black.
Wonder and magic wait to be discovered in these pages. (Paranormal fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781645951674
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Pixel+Ink
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape.
The fourth installment in Delacre’s early-reader series centers on the rich musical traditions of Puerto Rico, once again featuring sibling tree frogs Rafi and Rosi Coquí.
Readers learn along with Rafi and Rosi as they explore bomba, plena, and salsa in three chapters. A glossary at the beginning sets readers up well to understand the Spanish vocabulary, including accurate phoneticization for non-Spanish speakers. The stories focus on Rafi and Rosi’s relationship within a musical context. For example, in one chapter Rafi finds out that he attracts a larger audience playing his homemade güiro with Rosi’s help even though he initially excluded her: “Big brothers only.” Even when he makes mistakes, as the older brother, Rafi consoles Rosi when she is embarrassed or angry at him. In each instance, their shared joy for music and dance ultimately shines through any upsets—a valuable reflection of unity. Informational backmatter and author’s sources are extensive. Undoubtedly these will help teachers, librarians, and parents to develop Puerto Rican cultural programs, curriculum, or home activities to extend young readers’ learning. The inclusion of instructions to make one’s own homemade güiro is a thoughtful addition. The Spanish translation, also by Delacre and published simultaneously, will require a more advanced reader than the English one to recognize and comprehend contractions (“pa’bajo-pa-pa’rriba”) and relatively sophisticated vocabulary.
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape. (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-89239-429-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair.
Fifth graders get into a hairy situation.
After an unnamed narrator’s full-page warning, readers dive right into a Wolver Hollow classroom. Mr. Noffler recounts the town legend about how, every Oct. 19, residents don fake mustaches and lock their doors. As the story goes, the late Bockius Beauregard was vaporized in an “unfortunate black powder incident,” but, somehow, his “magnificent mustache” survived to haunt the town. Once a year, the spectral ’stache searches for an exposed upper lip to rest upon. Is it real or superstition? Students Parker and Lucas—sole members of the Midnight Owl Detective Agency—decide to take the case and solve the mustache mystery. When they find that the book of legends they need for their research has been checked out from the library, they recruit the borrower: goth classmate Samantha von Oppelstein. Will the three of them be enough to take on the mustache and resolve its ghostly, unfinished business? Whether through ridiculous plot points or over-the-top descriptions, the comedy keeps coming in this first title in McGee’s new Night Frights series. A generous font and spacing make this quick-paced, 13-chapter story appealing to newly confident readers. Skaffa’s grayscale cartoon spot (and occasional full-page) illustrations help set the tone and accentuate the action. Though neither race or skin color is described in the text, images show Lucas and Samantha as light-skinned and Parker as dark-skinned.
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair. (maps) (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8089-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
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