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FOG MAGIC

Name: FOG MAGIC
Author: Julia L. Sauer
ISBN: 978-0-14-032163-0

by Julia L. Sauer & illustrated by Lynd Ward ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1943

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A story of a secret world—such a world as every child should have—and of how the gift of that world remained as part of growing up. This is a story of Greta, who had always loved the fog, and one day when Blue Cove was lost in fog, she found her secret village there. The magic of woods and sea are in the story, as well as a sympathetic and true understanding of the imaginative child's private world, which is never confused with reality, and which sheds a warmth over the rest of life. This will appeal to children of fairy tale age and older.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1943

ISBN: 978-0-14-032163-0

Page Count: 132

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: April 9, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1943

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

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THE LION OF LARK-HAYES MANOR

by Aubrey Hartman ; illustrated by Christopher Cyr ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023

A pleasing premise for book lovers.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

THE FIRST CAT IN SPACE AND THE WRATH OF THE PAPERCLIP

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THE FIRST CAT IN SPACE AND THE WRATH OF THE PAPERCLIP

From the First Cat in Space series , Vol. 3

by Mac Barnett ; illustrated by Shawn Harris ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 5, 2024

File under “laugh riot.”

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A rogue spell-check program’s bid to transform all life-forms into that eminently useful office item, the paper clip, touches off a fresh round of lunar lunacy.

Predicated on the entirely reasonable premise that eliminating all spelling and grammar errors everywhere would logically lead to the necessity of exterminating carbon-based life in the universe, this third series entry combines high stakes with daffy banter and daring exploits. CheckMate—a chipper, jumped-up editing program—has invented the Transmogratron, a giant laser that will fulfill its ultimate goals in both the cyber world and “meatspace.” Facing challenges as random as prankster lunar unicorns and a disarmingly motherly Motherboard, scowling First Cat joins a motley crew of diversely carbon- and silicon-based allies, led by the pearlescent Queen of the Moon. They’re in a race to the finish—diverted occasionally by, for instance, a relentlessly punny comic-book interlude featuring a pair of literal and figurative Pool Sharks. They ultimately triumph thanks to teamwork and moxie. Following a celebratory party and toasts to “new friends…and steadfast comrades” (and, of course, “MEOW”), the story’s energetic, brightly colored panels close with a reveal of the next volume. (“I always hate it when comics end by announcing a sequel. SO CRINGE!” declares an authorial stand-in.) It can’t come too soon.

File under “laugh riot.” (Graphic science fiction. 8-11)