Next book

THE WOLVES OF SLOUGH CREEK

From the Wild World of Buck Bray series , Vol. 3

Substantially the best of the mystery/travelogue series to date, this one suffers from fewer credibility issues than the...

Middle schooler and television star Buck Bray is back for a third outing, this time bringing his intrepid detecting skills to Yellowstone National Park.

He’s accompanied by his partner in crime prevention, Toni, the daughter of the cameraman who films the national park–related documentaries. Shortly after the kids meet the twins Kale and Kayla Kolson, also middle schoolers, in the park, it becomes clear that someone is illegally flying drones there. Then coyotes and a wolf turn up dead from poison. Reviewing some of the show’s film, Kale and Buck realize the poisoner is using a large, expensive drone to deliver the lethal bait to the animals. Kale, who has Asperger’s, is a talented drone flyer. So is Jason, an older boy who’s also camping in the park. Finally, there’s Lyall, the president of the drone flying club, all of the fliers drawn to the area by a nearby drone competition. Young cleverly inserts ample red herrings, sustaining the suspense while including lots of information about both the park and the wolf packs that have been reintroduced there. None of the characters have physical descriptions (except for age), which combines with the cover depiction of light-skinned Buck and Toni to imply the white default. Information about drone flying adds additional appeal to this engaging tale.

Substantially the best of the mystery/travelogue series to date, this one suffers from fewer credibility issues than the previous entries. (Mystery. 9-12)

Pub Date: March 15, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-53411-020-5

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019

Next book

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS AND THE TERRIFYING RETURN OF TIPPY TINKLETROUSERS

From the Captain Underpants series , Vol. 9

Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.

Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.

Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…

Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012

Next book

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS AND THE REVOLTING REVENGE OF THE RADIOACTIVE ROBO-BOXERS

From the Captain Underpants series , Vol. 10

Series fans, at least, will take this outing (and clear evidence of more to come) in stride.

Zipping back and forth in time atop outsized robo–bell bottoms, mad inventor Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) legs his way to center stage in this slightly less-labored continuation of episode 9.

The action commences after a rambling recap and a warning not to laugh or smile on pain of being forced to read Sarah Plain and Tall. Pilkey first sends his peevish protagonist back a short while to save the Earth (destroyed in the previous episode), then on to various prehistoric eras in pursuit of George, Harold and the Captain. It’s all pretty much an excuse for many butt jokes, dashes of off-color humor (“Tippy pressed the button on his Freezy-Beam 4000, causing it to rise from the depths of his Robo-Pants”), a lengthy wordless comic and two tussles in “Flip-o-rama.” Still, the chase kicks off an ice age, the extinction of the dinosaurs and the Big Bang (here the Big “Ka-Bloosh!”). It ends with a harrowing glimpse of what George and Harold would become if they decided to go straight. The author also chucks in a poopy-doo-doo song with musical notation (credited to Albert P. Einstein) and plenty of ink-and-wash cartoon illustrations to crank up the ongoing frenzy.

Series fans, at least, will take this outing (and clear evidence of more to come) in stride. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-545-17536-4

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013

Close Quickview