A thoroughly satisfying reward for loyal fans of the series.
In the final installment of the Books of Elsewhere series, Olive goes head to head with Aldous McMartin one last time, with the highest stakes yet.
Two loose ends plague Olive and company—Aldous is running free somewhere and will inevitably return for revenge, and her good friend Morton has yet to reunite with his parents. After Walter officially moves into Morton’s family home, Morton takes over to restore it to exactly as it was when his family lived there, in preparation for finding his parents. His suspicious, secretive way of going about this leaves Olive struggling to determine which secrets need to be uncovered and which should be left alone. One secret she uncovers is where Aldous has imprisoned Morton’s parents. But adjusting to life outside Elsewhere isn’t always easy for Morton and family. While the devious Aldous closes in on Olive, she discovers one last McMartin family secret. The illustrations solidify mood and heighten tension, and the cast of characters is rather large but colorful. The humor ranges from wry to silly, effectively balanced by the competent, threatening villain. In the end, Olive’s concern is less about defeating Aldous and more about setting everyone else to right.
A thoroughly satisfying reward for loyal fans of the series. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: June 17, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8037-36917
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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
BOOK REVIEW
During a school year in which a gifted teacher who emphasizes personal responsibility among his fifth graders ends up in a coma from a thrown snowball, his students come to terms with their own issues and learn to be forgiving. Told in short chapters organized month-by-month in the voices of seven students, often describing the same incident from different viewpoints, this weaves together a variety of not-uncommon classroom characters and situations: the new kid, the trickster, the social bully, the super-bright and the disaffected; family clashes, divorce and death; an unwed mother whose long-ago actions haven't been forgotten in the small-town setting; class and experiential differences. Mr. Terupt engineers regular visits to the school’s special-needs classroom, changing some lives on both sides. A "Dollar Word" activity so appeals to Luke that he sprinkles them throughout his narrative all year. Danielle includes her regular prayers, and Anna never stops her hopeful matchmaking. No one is perfect in this feel-good story, but everyone benefits, including sentimentally inclined readers. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-385-73882-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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