A resonant, richly layered adventure with a modern yet timeless emphasis on emotional intelligence, courage, and empathy.
With Kest gone, Bea, Cad, and friends confront a new threat: If they cannot recover the sun, their entire planet will soon freeze.
Ninety-four days ago, the birdlike spirit who devoured the sun was defeated after also destroying the artificial Lights that supported life on Irpa. Our protagonists depart for the Citadel of Knowledge, seeking information about the missing sun. Between weapons practice and road patrols, Bea practices the magic that the Arsai use to tap into the consciousness of all living things. Probert depicts her anxiety and self-doubt as dark, blobby ribbons or frantic spirals of text swirling around her. A recurring vision of another spirit leads Bea to question Kest’s true motivations. The Citadel’s resources enable Alfirid to finally translate Cad’s mysterious scrolls and lead the group to the site of an ancient tragedy, upending their beliefs about their world. This third series entry features deeper character development and introspection, creating a more intimate, though no less compelling, narrative that strengthens the characters’ relationships and invites further exploration of topics such as media literacy, bias, and the politics of historical record-keeping. Vibrant, expressive art showcases the characters’ personalities and emotions, the coziness of woodland camp scenes, and the striking diversity and scale of the settings the travelers traverse. Most main characters resemble human-sized, anthropomorphized animals; Bea has light skin and purple hair.
A resonant, richly layered adventure with a modern yet timeless emphasis on emotional intelligence, courage, and empathy. (map, alphabets) (Graphic fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780063080911
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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
More hijinks-filled adventure than mystery, this is sure to win an audience.
Ben Silverstein’s summer with Grandpa is about to go wild.
When his parents need to “work out some troubles,” 10-year-old Ben gets shipped off to tiny Buttonville, where everything seems to be closed or out of business since the button factory was shuttered years ago. Ben’s used to spending summers in the pool in his Los Angeles backyard with his friends, and Buttonville looks positively coma-inducing. When Grandpa’s mouser Barnaby deposits what has to be a baby dragon on Ben’s bed, Ben and his new friend Pearl (whom the whole town calls “troublemaker” on account of a few innocent incidents) decide to visit the new “worm doctor” who has moved into the abandoned button factory. (Ben had heard her strange assistant Mr. Tabby buying ingredients for “dragon’s milk” at the grocery....) When their visit unleashes a hairy, pudding-loving imaginary beast on the town of Buttonville, Ben and Pearl volunteer to catch him. Selfors kicks off her Imaginary Veterinary series with a solid, entertaining opener. Ben and Pearl are Everykids that readers will relate to, and the adults of Buttonville are often delightfully weird and clueless. Twenty-five pages of backmatter include information on wyverns and sasquatch as well as the science of reptiles and a pudding recipe.
More hijinks-filled adventure than mystery, this is sure to win an audience. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: April 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-316-20934-2
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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