A totally satisfying third round of bonding à la Knightley (you know, with kidnapping, sleuthing, disguises, and murder).
Sunblock protects Anglo pallor from the unrelenting Western sun, but it doesn’t do much for fending off the Combination’s villainy.
Darkus has turned his back on the detecting life after losing his canine companion in the previous book (K-9, 2015) and now occupies himself with social media and (gasp) parties. He’s forced back into the family business when beloved housekeeper Bogna is kidnapped by the Combination. On a Bogna-recovery mission, Darkus, father Alan, and stepsister Tilly travel from London to Las Vegas via an eventful series of detours. Tragedy has shaped their lives, and as they follow a trail of Combination crumbs, they could be galloping headlong into more. This episode has more of a cinematic Fleming flavor than the earlier Conan Doyle–esque adventures: there are gadgets galore, action-filled brushes with death, and show-stopping settings. Though cast familiars return, there’s the welcome, albeit brief, addition of a Knightley & Son doppelgänger—African-American father-and-son investigators in Los Angeles. With more adults populating the book than teens, it’s Darkus and Tilly who really keep the pages turning. Though it’s a mission to save Bogna and cripple the Combination, the crux of Darkus’ purpose is to reunite his parents, while Tilly seeks the truth behind her mother’s death—an answer for which neither she nor Darkus is prepared.
A totally satisfying third round of bonding à la Knightley (you know, with kidnapping, sleuthing, disguises, and murder). (Mystery. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-61963-830-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious.
If you made a recording to be heard by the aliens who found the iPod, what would you record?
For 11-year-old Alex Petroski, it's easy. He records everything. He records the story of how he travels to New Mexico to a rocket festival with his dog, Carl Sagan, and his rocket. He records finding out that a man with the same name and birthday as his dead father has an address in Las Vegas. He records eating at Johnny Rockets for the first time with his new friends, who are giving him a ride to find his dead father (who might not be dead!), and losing Carl Sagan in the wilds of Las Vegas, and discovering he has a half sister. He even records his own awful accident. Cheng delivers a sweet, soulful debut novel with a brilliant, refreshing structure. His characters manage to come alive through the “transcript” of Alex’s iPod recording, an odd medium that sounds like it would be confusing but really works. Taking inspiration from the Voyager Golden Record released to space in 1977, Alex, who explains he has “light brown skin,” records all the important moments of a journey that takes him from a family of two to a family of plenty.
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-18637-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Guaranteed to enchant, enthrall, and enmagick.
An elderly witch, a magical girl, a brave carpenter, a wise monster, a tiny dragon, paper birds, and a madwoman converge to thwart a magician who feeds on sorrow.
Every year Elders of the Protectorate leave a baby in the forest, warning everyone an evil Witch demands this sacrifice. In reality, every year, a kind witch named Xan rescues the babies and find families for them. One year Xan saves a baby girl with a crescent birthmark who accidentally feeds on moonlight and becomes “enmagicked.” Magic babies can be tricky, so Xan adopts little Luna herself and lovingly raises her, with help from an ancient swamp monster and a chatty, wee dragon. Luna’s magical powers emerge as her 13th birthday approaches. Meanwhile, Luna’s deranged real mother enters the forest to find her daughter. Simultaneously, a young carpenter from the Protectorate enters the forest to kill the Witch and end the sacrifices. Xan also enters the forest to rescue the next sacrificed child, and Luna, the monster, and the dragon enter the forest to protect Xan. In the dramatic denouement, a volcano erupts, the real villain attempts to destroy all, and love prevails. Replete with traditional motifs, this nontraditional fairy tale boasts sinister and endearing characters, magical elements, strong storytelling, and unleashed forces. Luna has black eyes, curly, black hair, and “amber” skin.
Guaranteed to enchant, enthrall, and enmagick. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-61620-567-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Algonquin
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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