A determined young detective returns to solve a crime in a setting bibliophiles will especially enjoy.
Lark Heron-Finch is happy to assist at Swallowtail Island’s book festival only to find herself in the middle of another murder mystery.
A newcomer to the Ohio island from Connecticut, 12-year-old Lark ruffled the feathers of some prominent local citizens while solving a 75-year-old murder mystery and land dispute in Wreck at Ada’s Reef (2022). She was going to lie low but can’t resist the invitation to be a festival volunteer helping Ann E. Keyheart, her favorite YA author. Sadly, Ann proves to be mean and manipulative. But Lark quickly forms a close connection with Didi Ferrer, Ann’s personal assistant—especially after learning that Kate Heron, Lark’s deceased mother, inspired Didi to write after the two crossed paths on the island 11 years earlier. Before Lark can learn more about Didi’s manuscript, however, Didi dies. It seems she suffered anaphylaxis after ingesting chocolate containing nuts. Lark is suspicious of the circumstances and even wonders whether Ann, who also has a nut allergy, was the intended victim. She methodically follows her hunches and the clues, even when confronted with red herrings. Some of the details about publishing-world relationships and rivalries are dense, but the sting and culminating chase scene are exciting. While it’s not essential to have read the first volume to appreciate this one, it’s helpful. The main cast defaults to White. Final art not seen.
A determined young detective returns to solve a crime in a setting bibliophiles will especially enjoy. (maps) (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9781645950509
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Pixel+Ink
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Not the most satisfying wrap-up, but it’s always good to spend time in the world of this series.
Beloved gorilla Ivan becomes a father to rambunctious twins in this finale to a quartet that began with 2012’s Newbery Award–winning The One and Only Ivan.
Life hasn’t always been easy for silverback gorilla Ivan, who’s spent most of his life being mistreated in captivity. Now he’s living in a wildlife sanctuary, but he still gets to see his two best friends. Young elephant Ruby lives in the grassy habitat next door, and former stray dog Bob has a home with one of the zookeepers. All three were rescued from the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Ivan’s expanded world includes fellow gorilla Kinyani—the two are about to become parents, and Ivan is revisiting the traumas of his past in light of what he wants the twins to know. When the subject inevitably comes up, Applegate’s trust and respect for readers is evident. She doesn’t shy away from hard truths as Ivan wrestles with the fact that poachers killed his family. Readers will need the context provided by knowledge of the earlier books to feel the full emotional impact of this story. The rushed ending unfortunately falls flat, detracting from the central message that a complex life can still contain hope. Final art not seen.
Not the most satisfying wrap-up, but it’s always good to spend time in the world of this series. (gorilla games, glossary, author’s note) (Verse fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780063221123
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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