Big Nate and Wimpy Kid fans will be right at home.
PJ McGee is on the case when his autographed cowboy hat is stolen.
Woods Road Elementary fifth-grader PJ McGee is famous; he saved the principal and was in the newspaper. Why doesn’t anyone want his autograph? He practices signing (all over the walls of the house…in permanent marker). When he attempts to sell his John Hancock, he gets no buyers—but he does discover that the scribble on the back of his cowboy hat is an actual autograph from Junior McFiddle, singer of the superpopular country song “Love Pony.” PJ’s suddenly the center of attention again until his hat’s stolen. PJ is sure the mysterious Nasty Ned, who has been putting up posters around the school made from letters cut out of magazines, is behind this nefarious crime. His sidekick (and the actual brains behind their “detective” successes), third-grader Dante, isn’t. PJ makes a new hat…and that’s stolen too. He vows to track down the culprit so he can be just like his absent father, who’s on a “secret mission” in Nashville. Mack continues the frenetic adventures of the enthusiastically clueless PJ in this third heavily illustrated chapter book (Clueless McGee and the Inflatable Pants, 2013, etc.). Told in a series of comic-strip–filled letters to his father, PJ’s tale is again a mix of slapstick grossness and silly naïveté, with a surprising sprinkle of complex humor.
Big Nate and Wimpy Kid fans will be right at home. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-25751-3
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
An effort as insubstantial as any spirit.
Eleven-year-old Maria Russo helps her charlatan mother hoodwink customers, but Maria has a spirited secret.
Maria’s mother, the psychic Madame Destine, cons widows out of their valuables with the assistance of their apartment building’s super, Mr. Fox. Madame Destine home-schools Maria, and because Destine is afraid of unwanted attention, she forbids Maria from talking to others. Maria is allowed to go to the library, where new librarian Ms. Madigan takes an interest in Maria that may cause her trouble. Meanwhile, Sebastian, Maria’s new upstairs neighbor, would like to be friends. All this interaction makes it hard for Maria to keep her secret: that she is visited by Edward, a spirit who tells her the actual secrets of Madame Destine’s clients via spirit writing. When Edward urges Maria to help Mrs. Fisher, Madame Destine’s most recent mark, Maria must overcome her shyness and her fear of her mother—helping Mrs. Fisher may be the key to the mysterious past Maria uncovers and a brighter future. Alas, picture-book–creator Ford’s middle-grade debut is a muddled, melodramatic mystery with something of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink feel: In addition to the premise, there’s a tragically dead father, a mysterious family tree, and the Beat poets. Sluggish pacing; stilted, unrealistic dialogue; cartoonishly stock characters; and unattractive, flat illustrations make this one to miss. Maria and Sebastian are both depicted with brown skin, hers lighter than his; the other principals appear to be white.
An effort as insubstantial as any spirit. (author’s note) (Paranormal mystery. 7-10)Pub Date: July 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-20567-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
A wild romp that champions making space for vulnerable creatures and each other.
A boy with ADHD explores nature and himself.
Eleven-year-old Jake Rizzi just wants to be seen as “normal”; he blames his brain for leading him into trouble and making him do things that annoy his peers and even his own parents. Case in point: He’s stuck spending a week in rural Oregon with an aunt he barely knows while his parents go on vacation. Jake’s reluctance changes as he learns about the town’s annual festival, during which locals search for a fabled turtle. But news of this possibly undiscovered species has spread. Although Aunt Hettle insists to Jake that it’s only folklore, the fame-hungry convene, sure that the Ruby-Backed Turtle is indeed real—just as Jake discovers is the case. Keeping its existence secret is critical to protecting the rare creature from a poacher and others with ill intentions. Readers will keep turning pages to find out how Jake and new friend Mia will foil the caricatured villains. Along the way, Bramucci packs in teachable moments around digital literacy, mindfulness, and ecological interdependence, along with the message that “the only way to protect the natural world is to love it.” Jake’s inner monologue elucidates the challenges and benefits of ADHD as well as practical coping strategies. Whether or not readers share Jake’s diagnosis, they’ll empathize with his insecurities. Jake and his family present white; Mia is Black, and names of secondary characters indicate some ethnic diversity.
A wild romp that champions making space for vulnerable creatures and each other. (Adventure. 8-11)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781547607020
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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