A charming tale of adventure and friendship.
A fearless young gopher sets out on a quest to find his missing grandfather only to find a battle brewing in Young’s children’s chapter book.
The second book in the Eastside series finds Chester, an elderly gopher, searching underground for a burlap sack with sentimental value. He’s spotted and taken prisoner by the blackguard owls, a fierce unit specifically trained to protect their colony from trespassers. When Chester fails to return home, his young grandson Bernard sets off to find him, despite the protests of Bernard’s overprotective grandmother. Alongside his best friend Flory, Bernard encounters various obstacles that threatens his mission. From swooping hawks to a terrifying encounter with a deadly snake known as Old Bulky, Bernard and Flory must face their fears in order to succeed. Luckily, they get help along the way from newfound friends like Lester, a hare whose aim with a slingshot is impeccable, and Oliver, an underappreciated owl who wants to join the blackguard someday. As the conflict between the gophers and owls ramps up, Bernard and his special dream of a land called North Country, where all animals live in harmony, may hold the key to getting his grandfather back…and to finding peace. Monk’s cartoonish black-and-white drawings open each chapter. Bernard’s exploits move at a brisk pace but never feel rushed. Young has crafted a largely upbeat tale with themes of resilience, love, and harmony, though younger readers may find the flashback to a fatal flood a bit disturbing: “Chester and Bernard clung to that tree for two days, watching the swirling water below and hoping their family had somehow gotten out safely. [Bernard’s father] never returned. Nor did Bernard’s mother or his brothers and sisters.” Even so, a universe in which owls hold rapiers and hares wear moss hats can never stay sad for long, and early readers will likely find Young’s vision as thrilling as it is sweet.
A charming tale of adventure and friendship.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
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
BOOK REVIEW
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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