Poignantly compelling and ultimately upbeat; keep tissues handy.
A tiny Yorkshire Terrier who has survived 11 years in a Virginia puppy mill learns about human kindness and love in Lujan’s middle-grade novel.
Small Dog, as she is called by her special friend Queenie (a honeybee), lies in her cage in the wretched Kennel Eight (“Those curious enough to peek in, would find kenneled dogs suffering from years of neglect”). It is the only home she has ever known. She is tending to her new litter, one male and one undersized female. They are the smallest, and will be the last, of the more than 60 puppies she has given birth to in her lifetime. Frail and undernourished, with missing teeth and a rotting jaw, Small Dog is filled with abundant love for her puppies. However, Wayne Wyatt, the owner of the puppy mill, needs cash, and Small Dog’s little boy is taken from her to be sold. Even worse, now that she is no longer useful for breeding, Wayne says it is time to dispose of her. He takes her away from her female pup and drives her to the side of a road where he ties her to a tree, leaving her there to die, starving and trembling. Fortunately, Angie Tucker, a nurse driving by, sees what is happening. She rescues the little abused Yorkie and brings her to a nearby veterinarian. Georgia Grace, who runs a Senior Dog Rescue organization, is notified and immediately adopts her, naming her Miri (for “Miracle”). But Miri has a mission to fulfill: She must escape and rescue her daughter. Lujan’s wistful fantasy is the story of Miri’s courageous and determined efforts to save her last puppy from the painful suffering and abuse that have marked her own life. The novel is both heart-rending and hopeful, with a despicable villain, more than a bit of mystical magic, numerous cute and tender inter-canine conversations, and an endearing collection of human protagonists. Reminiscent of classic Disney properties in its prose and content (with a touch of saccharine Lifetime-television drama in the mix), the narrative is sure to provoke a healthy mix of tears and cheers, and will likely engage middle-grade readers.
Poignantly compelling and ultimately upbeat; keep tissues handy.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2024
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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