An out-of-this-world finale.
Rosie and her friends face the final witch in this trilogy closer.
After The Sea of Always (2022), the heroes have defeated the witches but must flee the final and greatest foe, the Nothing King, and his black hole. New ally Wanda’s able to teleport (most of) the group to distant planet Glimmer 5’s Hotel at the Edge of the Galaxy, in search of help from an inventor who marries magic with science for his fantastical creations. Unfortunately, he’s already vanished, leaving behind a cryptic note. While the more technologically inclined (sisters Aria and Clara) work on getting the inventions up and running for the group to get back to Earth to face their nemesis, Rosie struggles with how different her twin brother is from her expectations, tries to solve clues in the inventor’s cryptic note, and copes with her growing feelings for ghost Ebb. A further interpersonal element is added with the revelation that the Nothing King could only have escaped his imprisonment if a human aided a witch, meaning there must be a traitor. Despite the characters’ constantly encountering setbacks, the plot moves quickly. Thematically, the action elements of the plot counter destruction and nothingness with creativity and imagination, while emotionally, growing up and facing different kinds of goodbyes are explored, resulting in a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. Rosie, her family, and Ebb read White; Aria and Clara have brown skin; Wanda’s Argentine; and names cue background ethnic diversity.
An out-of-this-world finale. (Fantasy. 8-13)Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781534416499
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
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