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A STORM OF WISHES

From the The Collectors series , Vol. 2

A warm and enchanting read.

In the second installment of the Collectors series, 11-year-old Van, his friend Pebble, and Barnavelt the squirrel must stop an ancient monster that has the power to grant wishes.

Giovanni “Van” Carlos Gaugez-Garcia Markson is able to see things other people cannot: wishes, the mysterious Collectors who bottle them up for safety, and the monstrous Wish Eaters who make them come true. It has been some time since Van heard from his magical friends when Pebble, a young Collector, enlists him to help stop her uncle Ivor from awakening an ancient Wish Eater. Van is hard of hearing, and there is a tiresome implication that Van can see the magical occurrences around him due to his “different” senses, but luckily West does not focus on that idea for long. As the action ramps up, Van experiences increasing difficulty hearing the people around him, and the other characters’ lack of consideration for Van’s communication needs—despite his repeated explanations—paints a realistic, if frustrating, picture. The author skillfully employs the classic setup of a regular kid swept up in magical events. In the end, Van and readers both must question right and wrong in a fairy tale in which the good guys use questionable methods and the monsters might not be so monstrous after all. Van’s race is not clarified; he has black hair and Spanish, Italian, and English names. Pebble presents white.

A warm and enchanting read. (Fantasy. 8-13)

Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-06-269172-9

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019

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THE WILD ROBOT PROTECTS

From the Wild Robot series , Vol. 3

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

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THE MILLICENT QUIBB SCHOOL OF ETIQUETTE FOR YOUNG LADIES OF MAD SCIENCE

Fiercely feisty and unapologetically goofy.

Three young girls are tasked with saving their town from a vicious worm.

This romp from actor McKinnon introduces the three Porch girls: Gertrude, age 12 and three-quarters, Eugenia, age 12 and one-eighth, and Dee-Dee, age 11. Cared for by Aunt Desdemona and Uncle Ansel (along with their seven cousins, who are all named Lavinia), they’re forced to live in a ramshackle shed at the edge of the property. In a classic turn of events, the sisters are invited to a new school run by a certain Millicent Quibb. Under Quibb’s eccentric tutelage, the trio learn that the nefarious Krenetics Research Association, hoping to release their founder, Talon Sharktūth, from his vault, has bred a Kyrgalops, a vicious stone- and puppy-chomping worm, which may destroy their entire town. McKinnon’s middle-grade debut is grandiosely silly, reminiscent of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events in both its sesquipedalian language and tone and in relying heavily on its bespoke lexicon, verbal gymnastics, and cheeky footnotes to deliver jokes. Interspersed throughout are bits of visual interest—poems and songs, schematics, and bits of correspondence. Though the action rockets along at a Pixy Stix–fueled pace, many questions are left unanswered or unaddressed, making this series opener exposition heavy and a bit frustrating. Still, readers will ultimately be left hopeful that subsequent volumes will offer something meatier. The illustrations cue some diversity of skin tone among the characters.

Fiercely feisty and unapologetically goofy. (map, afterword, appendices) (Adventure. 8-12)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024

ISBN: 9780316554732

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024

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