A free-wheeling romp with a distinctly British flavour.
In a second exploit following 2021’s Knights and Bikes, the rebel bikers of the Cornish isle of Penfurzy earn their knighthoods by returning the magical Pendragon Cup to its rightful ghostly owner.
First, though, Nessa and Demelza—with Demelza’s goose, Captain Honkers, and the ancient severed head of Penfurzy knight Sir Calenick, met in the previous episode, in tow—must fetch the cup from the reclusive Lady of the Lake, escape a mob of shocked villagers after new kid Nessa slathers the jam on her scone after rather than before the cream (an unpardonable breach in Cornwall), break into a barrow hidden beneath a closed and creepy theme park, rout a trio of pesky boys, and like challenges. They demonstrate the value of teamwork and pull off rad bike tricks as they go. Variety in the fonts used adds to the book’s visual interest. The blocky figures in the frequent illustrations recall the look of those in the video game that inspired this spinoff, break up the text’s short chapters and enhance the story’s accessibility, and add to the humor of the hijinks. Illustrations show the locale’s ethnic diversity; Demelza reads White, and Nessa was previously identified as South Asian.
A free-wheeling romp with a distinctly British flavour. (map, video game sketches, excerpt from Volume 1) (Adventure. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781728272566
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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