MOMONGA'S SNOW WHITE

Name: MOMONGA'S SNOW WHITE
Author: Eve Moina

illustrated by Eve Moina developed by DICO ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 29, 2011

Rich in narrative choices, if not interactive features—and maybe not the best choice for a younger child’s first exposure to...

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A concise version of the classic tale, with racy manga-style illustrations. Whoo-hoo!

Clad in a ruffled gown that is high of hem and low of décolletage, buxom, square-eyed Snow White poses fetchingly in the first scene beneath a white palace that belongs in a French manuscript illumination and sprawls across a row of dwarven beds (in her underwear, as a tap of the blanket reveals). After falling to the apple offered by her surprisingly young-looking evil stepmother, she lies in her glass coffin among pink roses in a navel-exposing camisole. Enter a shaggy-haired prince, who bends down (with another tap) to give her a smooch and whisk her away to a “happily ever after.” Though (aside from a nifty dissolve in the magic mirror) the animated effects are stiff and simple, a menu button on each of the ten screens allows viewers to select a text and (optional) audio narration in any of eight languages or choose a version without text. Unusually, readers can also control the volumes of the narration, the sound effects and the tinkly orchestral background music separately with sliders.

Rich in narrative choices, if not interactive features—and maybe not the best choice for a younger child’s first exposure to the story, but teen manga fans will love it. (iPad storybook app. 12-16)

Pub Date: July 29, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: DICO

Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011

- BOOK REVIEW
HANSEL AND GRETEL
by The Brothers Grimm illustrated by Ten Sato & developed by DICO

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A PLACE TO HANG THE MOON

by Kate Albus ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 2, 2021

A wartime drama with enough depth and psychological complexity to satisfy budding bookworms.

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Three plucky orphan siblings are in search of a mother in wartime England.

When their grandmother dies, 12-year-old William, 11-year-old Edmund, and 9-year-old Anna are left in London in the care of an elderly housekeeper. As part of the World War II evacuation of children to safety, they are relocated to the countryside, something the family solicitor hopes may lead to finding adoptive parents. However, they are billeted with the Forresters, an unpleasant family reminiscent of the Dursleys. Bullying by their hosts’ two sons, who despise them; the ever present fear of German attack; and the dread of homelessness test their mettle to the limit. The orphans long to find a home of their own, and good boy William is stressed by his responsibility as head of the small family. Edmund’s desire for revenge against the Forresters and a prank involving a snake get them evicted from their billet, and they end up in a much worse situation. They find sanctuary in the village library and a savior in the librarian, who is married to a German and therefore ostracized by the locals. Mrs. Müller provides them with moral support, a listening ear, and true appreciation and love. The classic books she chooses for them—The Wind in the Willows and Anne of Green Gables, among others—may generate ideas for further reading. All characters are White.

A wartime drama with enough depth and psychological complexity to satisfy budding bookworms. (reading list) (Historical fiction. 12-16)

Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-8234-4705-3

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House

Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

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THE LIGHTNING THIEF

From the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series , Vol. 1

by Rick Riordan ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2005

The sardonic tone of the narrator’s voice lends a refreshing air of realism to this riotously paced quest tale of heroism...

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Edgar Award–winning Riordan leaves the adult world of mystery to begin a fantasy series for younger readers.

Twelve-year-old Percy (full name, Perseus) Jackson has attended six schools in six years. Officially diagnosed with ADHD, his lack of self-control gets him in trouble again and again. What if it isn’t his fault? What if all the outrageous incidents that get him kicked out of school are the result of his being a “half-blood,” the product of a relationship between a human and a Greek god? Could it be true that his math teacher Mrs. Dodds transformed into a shriveled hag with bat wings, a Fury, and was trying to kill him? Did he really vanquish her with a pen that turned into a sword? One need not be an expert in Greek mythology to enjoy Percy’s journey to retrieve Zeus’s master bolt from the Underworld, but those who are familiar with the deities and demi-gods will have many an ah-ha moment. Along the way, Percy and his cohort run into Medusa, Cerberus and Pan, among others.

The sardonic tone of the narrator’s voice lends a refreshing air of realism to this riotously paced quest tale of heroism that questions the realities of our world, family, friendship and loyalty. (Fantasy. 12-15)