The wildlife and natural settings remain fresh; not so much the characters and plot.
Three young shark taggers run into dangers ranging from poachers to large reptiles while exploring Florida’s western coast.
Checking out the mazes of mangroves and old shell mounds around Sanibel Island for wild oranges resistant to the citrus greening disease that is threatening the state’s cultivated fruits quickly leads Cuban American tween sisters Maribel and Sabina and White Midwestern farm boy Luke into tense encounters with both a tremendous Florida saltwater crocodile tending her batch of hatchlings and a pair of drunken outsiders who turn out to be animal traffickers. Plainly not shy about recycling themes, plot elements, and character types from previous entries, the author also trots in another ghost, some more buried gold, and Capt. Pony, a cranky septuagenarian fishing guide who is accompanied for comic relief by an attack goose (named Carlos, after a former king of the area’s Indigenous Calusa people) to supply the young naturalists with snippets of local history. The splashy, suspenseful, and occasionally supernatural climax ends properly with the baddies in the hands of the law and large numbers of captive croc hatchlings and baby turtles rescued. Capt. Pony (whose father came from Cuba) and the girls are repeatedly described as speaking Spanish but the text contains little actual Spanish, and Sabina is described as having “weird, witchy powers” due to her contact with santeras in Cuba.
The wildlife and natural settings remain fresh; not so much the characters and plot. (Adventure. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-81351-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
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
A real gem.
A 10-year old girl learns to adjust to a strange town, makes some fascinating friends, and fills the empty space in her heart thanks to a big old stray dog in this lyrical, moving, and enchanting book by a fresh new voice.
India Opal’s mama left when she was only three, and her father, “the preacher,” is absorbed in his own loss and in the work of his new ministry at the Open-Arms Baptist Church of Naomi [Florida]. Enter Winn-Dixie, a dog who “looked like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain.” But, this dog had a grin “so big that it made him sneeze.” And, as Opal says, “It’s hard not to immediately fall in love with a dog who has a good sense of humor.” Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal meets Miss Franny Block, an elderly lady whose papa built her a library of her own when she was just a little girl and she’s been the librarian ever since. Then, there’s nearly blind Gloria Dump, who hangs the empty bottle wreckage of her past from the mistake tree in her back yard. And, Otis, oh yes, Otis, whose music charms the gerbils, rabbits, snakes and lizards he’s let out of their cages in the pet store. Brush strokes of magical realism elevate this beyond a simple story of friendship to a well-crafted tale of community and fellowship, of sweetness, sorrow and hope. And, it’s funny, too.
A real gem. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0776-2
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2000
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