Everything but vampires…oh, wait.
Zombies, giant centipedes, and tentacled alien horrors come home to roost in this series closer.
Determined to shove as much ick into their climactic episode as possible, Lang and Bartkowski open with a young character who’s still bleeding from the incision left from cutting giant bugs out of his stomach while he was awake (“Horribly, terribly awake”). While he’s fleeing a crowd of zombies spitting infectious loogies, fellow middle schoolers brave hazards ranging from tentacled trees to giant exploding centipedes in an effort to prevent partly alien creepy crawlies (which the corrupt eco-corporation Green On! is trying to weaponize) from escaping into Connecticut. For readers who delight in tales about intrepid young teens fighting multi-eyed monsters (“Rae’s thumbs sank in deep. She ignored the hot splash of gooey liquid trickling down her hands and arms”) or wrestling with both literal and figurative inner demons in eerie settings amid splashes of blood and ichor and the odd severed limb or cut-off scream, the town of Whispering Pines definitely merits a visit. And, just to show that it was all in fun, one humongous explosion later, nearly all the central cast staggers out alive for fence-mending (“I’m sorry I tried to drink your blood”) and a pizza party.
Everything but vampires…oh, wait. (Horror. 8-13)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781665921916
Page Count: 368
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
A snappy mystery that’s full of heart.
A group of bright friends tackles the puzzle of their lives.
Elmwood, New Hampshire, 11-year-old Gina Sparks is small in stature but big on reporting ongoing dramas for the local newspaper with support from her journalist mom. When an unbelievable scoop comes her way, Gina must rely on her tightknit crew of sixth grade best friends whose initials happen to spell GEEK, a label they choose to proudly reclaim. She and science-minded prankster Elena Hernández, theater kid Edgar Feingarten, and driven math genius Kevin Robinson decide to get to the bottom of things when they learn that the Van Houten Toy & Game Company heir made elaborate plans to leave everything to the town of Elmwood before her death—but only if a member of the community could solve an intricate multistep puzzle. Gina hopes that deciphering the clues and finding the missing fortune will be just the thing to revitalize the down-on-its-luck town and bring the Elmwood Tribune back into the black, saving her mom’s job and Gina’s passion project. The GEEKs work together, using their individual talents and deductive reasoning skills to unravel the mystery. Infused with media literacy pointers, such as the difference between fact and opinion and reminders to avoid bias when reporting, the story encourages readers to think critically. Gina and Edgar read as White; Elena is cued as Latinx, and Kevin is implied Black.
A snappy mystery that’s full of heart. (Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-37793-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans.
Only children, rejoice! A cozy mystery just for you! (People with siblings will probably enjoy it too.)
Debut novelist Cornett introduces the One and Onlys, a trio of mystery-solving only kids: Gloria Longshanks “Shanks” Hill, Alexander “Peephole” Calloway, and narrator Paul (alas, no nickname) Marconi. The trio has a knack for finding and solving low-level mysteries, but they come up against a true head-scratcher when the yard of a resident of their small town is covered in rubber ducks overnight. Working ahead of Officer Portnoy, who’s a little on the slow side, can Paul, Shanks, and Peephole solve the mystery? Cornett has a lot of fun with this adventure, dropping additional side mysteries, a subplot about small businesses, big corporations, and economics, and a town’s love of bratwurst into the mix. Most importantly, he plays fair with the clues throughout, allowing astute readers to potentially solve the case ahead of the trio. The tone and mystery are perfect for younger readers who want to test their detective skills but are put off by anything scary or gory. The pacing would serve well for chapter-by-chapter read-alouds. If there are any quibbles, it’s the lack of diversity of the cast, as it defaults white. Diversity exists in small towns, and this one is crying out for more. Hopefully a sequel will introduce additional faces.
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-3003-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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