An appealing blend of action and personal growth that will set readers up to anticipate the next series entry.
A would-be crime fighter discovers that swagger is not a superpower—just the opposite, in fact.
Eager to get on with his one-kid crusade against bullies, which began in the series opener, Leon the Extraordinary (2022), Black fifth grader Leon irritates his racially diverse schoolmates with big-headed boasts and trash talk: “What’s up, civilians!…Your hero is here!” He also gets on Principal Principle’s bad side (“One moment you’re protecting people from danger, and the next day you are the danger”) by instigating confrontations with the Tardy Boys and other menacing elements. Leon even alienates best friend Carlos with his attitude. Meanwhile, a reality TV show crew, who are filming at the posh home of volatile hall monitor and shape-shifter Clementine, turns out to have a secret and nefarious agenda. Suddenly, Leon’s mom and other superheroes are in serious danger. Both storylines rush along in big, bright, action-filled panels. This sequel finishes abruptly with a sudden cliffhanger, but feuding preteens Leon and Carlos make their peace after sharing valuable insights for readers to reflect on about sticking with friends and making good, sensible choices.
An appealing blend of action and personal growth that will set readers up to anticipate the next series entry. (Graphic adventure. 8-11)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781338744200
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
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
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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