Armageddon-averting fun for fans of Jon Scieszka’s Spaceheadz and M.T. Anderson’s Pals in Peril.
Can Earth again be in peril from extraterrestrial bunnies?
Last summer, at Camp Whatsitooya, twins Joules and Kevin Rockman foiled the Fierce, Large, Ugly and Ferocious Furballs’ attempt to take over the world (Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, 2010). The Fluffs, who resemble nothing so much as adorable white bunnies (except for the swirly eyes), thrive on sweet scents, so the Rockman twins were able to knock them out with stench. It’s no surprise, then, that when Joules and her brother see a news story about a rocket crashing near the abandoned Snottie’s Tissue factory, they fear the worst. When their loopy science teacher, Mr. H, brings a white bunny with a huge schnoz and swirly eyes to class, the twins suspect that “the worst” might be a sunny vacation compared to what’s in store for their school, the town and the world. Since all the adults are dunderheads, it’s up to the twins now that the Fluffs have come again—or could these creatures be something even more evil, more dangerous, more…smelly? Beaty propels her second bad bunny book with deadpan slapstick and sarcasm. Santat’s occasional illustrations extend both story and humor, especially the short graphic-panel sequences (which are sorely lacking in the second half). The flatulent climax is a bit flat, but it sets up another volume nicely enough.
Armageddon-averting fun for fans of Jon Scieszka’s Spaceheadz and M.T. Anderson’s Pals in Peril. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: March 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1051-3
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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