An expansion of unicorn lore worth following to see where it crash-lands next.
Two adventures collide in an uproarious combination of heritage and revenge in this second series entry.
Opposing journeys, told across alternating chapters, provide insight into unicorns’ less savory qualities. In one tale, four orphaned moles end up in the care of unicorn society, where they’re assigned gardening duties. While the moles toil under the belief that they’re earning a higher status, they end up facing even more discrimination, including in unicorn court. Meanwhile, Sparkles has a glowing horn, a magic golden cupcake from his parents, and a restless urge to dance somewhere unknown for an uncertain reason. Death tags along like the friend he is. Sparkles endangers himself and others with his carelessly confident manner, instigating an argument between the two friends. Seeing ostensibly silly characters push each other into new growth, such as Sparkles experiencing humility and self-doubt or Death becoming a prankster, creates suitable dramatic foils for all the absurd humor surrounding them. The inevitable showdown with the scene-stealing moles leads to new stars in the series cast. Endless visual jokes make each page turn rewarding, from the moles’ wide variety of traps to some winking references to green pipes from a certain video game franchise. A recurring gag in which someone delivers a wall of text, only to be ignored, speaks to the relaxed nature of the story.
An expansion of unicorn lore worth following to see where it crash-lands next. (sketches) (Graphic adventure. 10-14)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781797206370
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 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
Brava!
From award winner Telgemeier (Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
Seventh-grader Callie Marin is over-the-moon to be on stage crew again this year for Eucalyptus Middle School’s production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie's just getting over popular baseball jock and eighth-grader Greg, who crushed her when he left Callie to return to his girlfriend, Bonnie, the stuck-up star of the play. Callie's healing heart is quickly captured by Justin and Jesse Mendocino, the two very cute twins who are working on the play with her. Equally determined to make the best sets possible with a shoestring budget and to get one of the Mendocino boys to notice her, the immensely likable Callie will find this to be an extremely drama-filled experience indeed. The palpably engaging and whip-smart characterization ensures that the charisma and camaraderie run high among those working on the production. When Greg snubs Callie in the halls and misses her reference to Guys and Dolls, one of her friends assuredly tells her, "Don't worry, Cal. We’re the cool kids….He's the dork." With the clear, stylish art, the strongly appealing characters and just the right pinch of drama, this book will undoubtedly make readers stand up and cheer.
Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-32698-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
SEEN & HEARD
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