Filled with high adventure, this sequel to Silverwing (1997) stands well on its own, continuing the adventures of Shade, a bat in search of his lost father. Shade, along with his companions, flies into what seems to be an indoor bat paradise, created by humans. The humans aren’t as benevolent as they seem—they are attaching explosives to owls and bats, and using the creatures to bomb enemy cities. In a race against time, bats, rats, and owls join to escape the humans’ clutches and to stop Goth, a cannibal bat, who is attempting to conquer the bat world with the help of the evil god, Zotz. Criss-crossing plotlines keep the story hopping—an ongoing battle between bats and owls, Shade’s competition with Chinook for the attentions of Marina, an intelligent, pretty bat—while excellent characterizations make the anthropomorphizing believable. Despite some fudging of natural science to cast owls in a villainous role, this book evokes sympathy for bats, a much-maligned species. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-689-82674-5
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1999
Hillenbrand takes license with the familiar song (the traditional words and music are reproduced at the end) to tell an enchanting story about baby animals picked up by the train and delivered to the children’s zoo. The full-color drawings are transportingly jolly, while the catchy refrain—“See the engine driver pull his little lever”—is certain to delight readers. Once the baby elephant, flamingo, panda, tiger, seal, and kangaroo are taken to the zoo by the train, the children—representing various ethnic backgrounds, and showing one small girl in a wheelchair—arrive. This is a happy book, filled with childhood exuberance. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201804-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PLB 0-531-33203-9 A silly, but ultimately satisfying story of wish-fulfillment, in which Sonenklar (My Own Worst Enemy, p. 727, etc.) perfectly captures a middle grader’s obsession with fantasy heroes. Small for his age, often bullied, new kid Howard is thrilled when he wins a contest to attend a taping of his favorite TV show, “Mighty Boy.” Even though he knows that Mighty Boy is played by an actor, Howard is nevertheless shocked to find that the actor has none of the hero’s qualities. When the two boys get lost in the woods, Howard’s camping skills, learned from his father entirely offstage, save the day. Sonenklar is deft in limning Howard’s preoccupation with Mighty Boy: he dreams about him at night, daydreams during class, and, even in the presence of the (and initially not very nice) boy, can’t quite grasp the idea that none of it is real. The dangerous way Howard deals with the bully when he returns to school (he smacks a beehive so that the bees attack his tormentor) lacks any sort of warning; otherwise this is a funny and enjoyable novel. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30203-2
Page Count: 118
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
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