This winsome middle-grade adventure blends good-natured humor and diverting action.
A seventh grader fights to protect her swamp home from a ruthless government in Cross’ middle-grade SF adventure, the first in a series.
Bad Luck Princess lives in Zone #13, a harsh, radioactive place that’s hazardous to non-Zonites. Blip (her preferred nickname) just wants to get through another school day, but mysterious notes proposing a meetup in the Swamp of Doom understandably unnerve her. It only gets worse: At her stilt-mansion home, another note awaits, and Aunt Emogen, her only family, is missing. With grit and galoshes, Blip traverses the Swamp of Doom, which teems with potentially deadly creatures. She soon uncovers a sinister plot: The Galactic Government is looking to shut down Zone #13 and drain the swamp. This place may incessantly reek with assorted odors, and the rain may give its grass a “snot-like texture,” but Zone #13 is a state free of government rule. Vowing to protect her home, Blip, with help from friends Ginger, Jimbo, and Raymond, searches for a lost sword that may be able to stop the government’s plan. Cross delivers a fun tale infused with rib-tickling turns. Blip’s narration can be amusingly dry; she complains about her consistently bad luck but she also seems used to it. Many of the story’s bizarre details are comical, from a skull phone that shriek-rings to a dust bunny under the couch that waves at Blip. At the same time, truly scary creatures populate the swamp, like huge spitting spiders and a talking “alligark” (an alligator-shark hybrid), though some of these swamp dwellers are nicer than they initially appear. This opening installment will leave much for readers to look forward to, like additional background on Blip’s parents (who inexplicably vanished) and further scenes with her cat Percival, who seemingly has no problem taking care of unwanted swamp rats. Zombie’s bold, comic book–style artwork adds vivid detail to individual characters, though there are sadly few images of the swampy backdrop.
This winsome middle-grade adventure blends good-natured humor and diverting action.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781957656748
Page Count: 110
Publisher: Monarch Educational Services, L.L.C.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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