A superb young duo leads this smart and consistently diverting fantasy.
Two gifted tweens’ investigation into stolen paintings pits them against a villain constructing a chaos-generating machine in this third installment of a middle-grade series.
Someone has purloined the Vermeer painting The Music Lesson from the Emily Sears Museum in Boston. During her class field trip, 12-year-old Lucy Nightingale lingers at the crime scene and hears a boy crying—a ghost, perhaps. Sounds like a case for SLARP; through Sam and Lucy’s Anomalies Research Project, she and her pal Sam Winter look into “unusual happenings.” Lucy returns to the museum after hours and learns the apparent ghost is Peter, a young boy from the stolen painting. Speaking to other “Visitors” from the museum’s artworks, she decides to recover the work, as without it, Peter’s lamprolite (essentially his life force) will fade quickly. It seems thieves have been regularly taking Vermeer paintings, all for a mastermind who wants the shapes hidden within the art. They’re the key to building a world-changing machine, which the mastermind wants to use for manipulating gravity and sending things, like entire countries, into a black hole. As this villain is associated with the Konference, “a secret society of geniuses” that’s initiating Sam, the tweens have a chance to thwart the evil plan. Lodge’s brisk fantasy is delightful thanks to its two investigating friends. They complement each other—“field agent” Lucy handles physical tasks that “unathletic” Sam avoids—and are never condescending. The story touches on a host of scientific concepts that characters usually comprehensively explain. Moreover, there are intermittent photographs of superlative art—not solely Vermeer’s—along with Hilaire’s bold, colorful, cartoon-style illustrations. Readers new to the series may be taken aback by the abrupt appearances of supernatural elements, from Lucy and Sam’s telepathy to the latter’s asserting that Quetzals, his “super phone” invention, “aren’t dependent on earth technology.” But that should prompt readers’ interest in this series’ preceding installments.
A superb young duo leads this smart and consistently diverting fantasy. (glossary, author bio)Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 230
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: July 8, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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