These piggies bring the sparkle once more.
Muffin the guinea pig and her frenetic, unfocused hutch-mate, Ziggy, return to the magical world of Piggie-Town to take part in a talent show.
The Sparkle Pigs send the pair tickets to the event through the carrot portal in their cage. Ziggy’s thrilled and wonders how she’ll choose which talent to showcase, but Muffin, believing she possesses no skills, is reluctant. Ziggy believes in her friend, though, and the two travel to Piggie-Town. As usual, both arrive automatically costumed: Muffin in a glamorous evening gown, Ziggy in top hat and tails—sparkling, of course. They head to the theater, made from a giant gourd and decorated with kale. Then Wiz Pig’s magic trick goes awry, transforming the audience into bunnies; turns out his magic wand is missing its sparkle. Teaming up to find it, Muffin, Ziggy, and Wiz Pig visit a magic castle constructed from vegetables. After answering a riddle, they’re let inside, where they find rooms of hats, capes, and popcorn. The opportunity to sing karaoke tempts Ziggy, the piggies finally put things right, and eventually, Muffin rises to the challenge of performing. Of course, “Everyone gets a ribbon!” The well-paced narrative is driven by inventive incidents, and the plot barrels happily to its conclusion. Some words and phrases may be unfamiliar. Frequent tonal vignettes and encouragement after every chapter (“You’ve read TWELVE chapters! You get a ribbon, too!”) make for a fun experience.
These piggies bring the sparkle once more. (Chapter book. 6-10)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063323421
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode.
A long-running series reaches its closing chapters.
Having, as Kline notes in her warm valedictory acknowledgements, taken 30 years to get through second and third grade, Harry Spooger is overdue to move on—but not just into fourth grade, it turns out, as his family is moving to another town as soon as the school year ends. The news leaves his best friend, narrator “Dougo,” devastated…particularly as Harry doesn’t seem all that fussed about it. With series fans in mind, the author takes Harry through a sort of last-day-of-school farewell tour. From his desk he pulls a burned hot dog and other items that featured in past episodes, says goodbye to Song Lee and other classmates, and even (for the first time ever) leads Doug and readers into his house and memento-strewn room for further reminiscing. Of course, Harry isn’t as blasé about the move as he pretends, and eyes aren’t exactly dry when he departs. But hardly is he out of sight before Doug is meeting Mohammad, a new neighbor from Syria who (along with further diversifying a cast that began as mostly white but has become increasingly multiethnic over the years) will also be starting fourth grade at summer’s end, and planning a written account of his “horrible” buddy’s exploits. Finished illustrations not seen.
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47963-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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