A gently atmospheric ghost story with an intriguing setting and an appealing trio of protagonists.
The Boundary, a legendary fog bank, hovers off the Scottish coast, drawing welcome tourists and unwelcome scientists to the picturesque village of Journey’s End; but as three preteens discover, it’s anything but benign.
Bel’s long-established family makes a living ferrying tourists out to view the Boundary and recounting spooky tales of those claimed by the fog. When Nolie, a spunky, white Georgian, arrives to visit her scientist dad, she offers the timid white Scottish girl a welcome dose of warmth and fun. Bel, recently hurt by a friend’s abandonment, and Nolie, not fully reconciled to her parents’ divorce, form a close bond. Nolie, a ghost aficionado intrigued by legends of the Boundary, becomes even more fascinated when they discover Albert wandering on the beach. Last seen in 1918 rowing into the fog, the white boy provides firsthand confirmation that the legends are true. Entwined with the contemporary story, which unfolds in a third-person narration that switches focus between Nolie and Bel, is an account of a 500-year-old tragedy: the death of a laird’s son, the nanny punished for it, and a powerful curse. Legend says the Boundary can be kept at bay only while the lighthouse is lit. Albert relit the darkened lighthouse in 1918—and was lost for a century. Should the three risk trying again?
A gently atmospheric ghost story with an intriguing setting and an appealing trio of protagonists. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7352-8777-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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