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NATIONAL ARCHIVE HUNTERS

CAPITOL CHASE

From the National Archive Hunters series , Vol. 1

A high-energy story that holds its own in the growing pantheon of middle-grade crime thrillers.

In Washington, D.C., twins Ike and Iris use their brains and athletic abilities to solve a string of thefts that baffle even the FBI Art Crime Team.

Icarus “Ike” Carter is a genius who sometimes tunes out when it comes to reading emotions; Iris, his sister, is a superior athlete with a photographic memory and spatial awareness to spare. Together with their museum curator mom and former Army officer dad (who’s now a Montessori school principal), they run and bike their way around D.C.’s monuments and historic sites every day. When an impressively acrobatic girl steals a miniature portrait of George Washington from their mom’s cash-strapped museum, Ike and Iris hatch a plan: solve the crime and save the museum by making the recovered portrait the center of an attention-grabbing new exhibit, “The Stolen Washington.” The FBI gets involved, the underage criminal pulls off heists in Philadelphia and Boston, and the twins even become suspects themselves. As this case wraps up, the family accepts an offer to consult with the FBI in the future. Ike and Iris alternate as narrators, allowing their strengths to complement each other (even if Iris thinks Ike’s explanation of Occam’s razor is a “snooze-fest”). The action is nonstop as these fifth graders outthink a seasoned FBI agent, sprint through crowded streets, and even shimmy down a marble porch column with aplomb. The Carters are cued white.

A high-energy story that holds its own in the growing pantheon of middle-grade crime thrillers. (historical notes) (Thriller. 8-12)

Pub Date: May 14, 2024

ISBN: 9781645952213

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Pixel+Ink

Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024

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THE WILD ROBOT PROTECTS

From the Wild Robot series , Vol. 3

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.

Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.

When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023

ISBN: 9780316669412

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023

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CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS AND THE TERRIFYING RETURN OF TIPPY TINKLETROUSERS

From the Captain Underpants series , Vol. 9

Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.

Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.

Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…

Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012

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