Though the computer graphics are stunning and at times entertaining, they’re not powerful enough to slay the giant also...
A “special edition” of the classic Bible story that emphasizes faith, courage and the supernatural possibility of becoming an MVP.
Regardless of religious upbringing, most are familiar with the story of David and Goliath. The two unlikely opponents have become symbols for facing formidable circumstances and overcoming insurmountable odds. David is a young Israeli shepherd boy; Goliath is a giant in the Philistine army. David volunteers to fight the mammoth warrior after learning that the entire Israeli army has been cowering for days in Goliath’s shadow. (Warning: spoiler alert!) David wins. This adaptation is fueled by breathtaking computer graphics and is narrated by World Series MVP Eckstein, in a performance that is on rare occasions believable but otherwise unremarkable. Readers can hurl spears, prompt reluctant soldiers to square off with Goliath, throw stones and carry out several other nifty tasks, but the sound effects tend to drown out narration while the story is being read (there’s also a read-it-myself option). David’s triumphant crowd surfing in the 11th-century BCE is bewildering and seems like a cheap shot at relevance. On one page there are substantial sound hiccups, and the “afterward” narration—provided by Eckstein’s wife—feels preachy if well intended.
Though the computer graphics are stunning and at times entertaining, they’re not powerful enough to slay the giant also known as mediocrity. (iPad storybook app. 7-12)Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Jumping Pages
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
Thought-provoking and charming.
A sophisticated robot—with the capacity to use senses of sight, hearing, and smell—is washed to shore on an island, the only robot survivor of a cargo of 500.
When otters play with her protective packaging, the robot is accidently activated. Roz, though without emotions, is intelligent and versatile. She can observe and learn in service of both her survival and her principle function: to help. Brown links these basic functions to the kind of evolution Roz undergoes as she figures out how to stay dry and intact in her wild environment—not easy, with pine cones and poop dropping from above, stormy weather, and a family of cranky bears. She learns to understand and eventually speak the language of the wild creatures (each species with its different “accent”). An accident leaves her the sole protector of a baby goose, and Roz must ask other creatures for help to shelter and feed the gosling. Roz’s growing connection with her environment is sweetly funny, reminiscent of Randall Jarrell’s The Animal Family. At every moment Roz’s actions seem plausible and logical yet surprisingly full of something like feeling. Robot hunters with guns figure into the climax of the story as the outside world intrudes. While the end to Roz’s benign and wild life is startling and violent, Brown leaves Roz and her companions—and readers—with hope.
Thought-provoking and charming. (Science fiction/fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-38199-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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