An entertaining lesson in critical thinking wrapped in visual and verbal goofiness.
An eccentric professor relates the story of his fantastical big discovery to two young skeptics in Vee’s illustrated children’s book.
The fun begins with Professor Nincompoop’s announcement to young fans Nick and Tess that he has made his “most impressively impressive discovery ever.” He’s certain that his “discovery”—concealed in a box with air holes, claw marks, and a “Danger” sign—will fulfill his lifelong ambition: entry into the Professors Hall of Fame. As Tess and Nick await the revelation of what kind of critter is in the box, Professor Nincompoop launches into an increasingly tall tale about how he found it. The kids have questions: If other animals are the only ones who knew the whereabouts of this particular critter’s habitat, did the professor really chat with cheetahs, banter with baboons, and palaver with porcupines to find it? (And is he really “half-fluent in flea?”) Also, if the critter is truly “massively massive,” why is the box it’s in so small? The author takes a sly dig at indiscriminate online fact-finding; when Tess asks if he’s “a real professor,” Nincompoop refers to his “incredibly credible degrees” and says, “I’m even on the internet!” (Nick responds, “Everyone’s on the internet, Professor.”) Vee effectively combines funny-bone humor with playful examples of logic and independent reasoning. Illustrator Askew ratchets up the narrative tone of comic chaos with full-page, full-color digital images loaded with off-the-wall wackiness, from the characters’ skinny-limbed, big-headed bodies and bug-eyed expressions to the professor’s wild gestures, pogo stick jumping, and gymnastic leaps in addition to a plethora of absurd details (a basketball, a chicken, a skateboard, and a hamburger are among the objects that fly from the professor’s open suitcase). When the “reveal” comes, readers will get a kick out of what the “critter” turns out to be, and there’s a sweet coda in which Tess and Nick give the professor an alternative way to realize his dream of fame.
An entertaining lesson in critical thinking wrapped in visual and verbal goofiness.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
After Castro’s takeover, nine-year-old Julian and his older brothers are sent away by their fearful parents via “Operation Pedro Pan” to a camp in Miami for Cuban-exile children. Here he discovers that a ruthless bully has essentially been put in charge. Julian is quicker-witted than his brothers or anyone else ever imagined, though, and with his inherent smarts, developing maturity and the help of child and adult friends, he learns to navigate the dynamics of the camp and surroundings and grows from the former baby of the family to independence and self-confidence. A daring rescue mission at the end of the novel will have readers rooting for Julian even as it opens his family’s eyes to his courage and resourcefulness. This autobiographical novel is a well-meaning, fast-paced and often exciting read, though at times the writing feels choppy. It will introduce readers to a not-so-distant period whose echoes are still felt today and inspire admiration for young people who had to be brave despite frightening and lonely odds. (Historical fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59643-168-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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