by Steven Banbury ; illustrated by Matt Rockefeller ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2024
A timeless tale of found family, full of Halloween charm.
An orphan winds up in the strange, spooky land of the undead and discovers the home and family she’s always craved.
One Halloween, Eve attempts yet another escape from her awful orphanage and comes across someone completely unexpected in the forest—the Pumpkin King. He’s imposing and has a jack-o’-lantern pumpkin as a head, but Eve, who’s lanky and cued white, refuses to feel fear. Impressed by her verve, he offers to adopt her and make her the Pumpkin Princess of Hallowell Valley, a hidden land populated by all sorts of undead creatures, including vampires, werewolves, and witches. Eve has a lot to learn about her unusual new home, but for the first time ever, she has friends to help. But not everyone in Hallowell is happy about having a living being among them. There are secret, nefarious plans brewing, and in order for Eve to save her new home, she’ll have to confront her fears. This spooky, autumnal take on the classic human-in-a-magical-world scenario is a delightful blend of eerie and heartwarming. The original world feels cozy with its lovable, oddball characters, while the untrustworthy baddies make the tale more exciting. The Pumpkin King is absolutely adorable as a father figure, and his relationship with Eve is precious. The mystery element has surprising twists, but it’s Eve’s finding a place to belong and be loved that will ensnare readers. Rockefeller’s spooky spot art opens each chapter.
A timeless tale of found family, full of Halloween charm. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780316572989
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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by J.K. Rowling ; illustrated by Jim Field ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 12, 2021
Plays to Rowling’s fan base; equally suited for gifting and reading aloud or alone.
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New York Times Bestseller
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A 7-year-old descends into the Land of the Lost in search of his beloved comfort object.
Jack has loved Dur Pig long enough to wear the beanbag toy into tattered shapelessness—which is why, when his angry older stepsister chucks it out the car window on Christmas Eve, he not only throws a titanic tantrum and viciously rejects the titular replacement pig, but resolves to sneak out to find DP. To his amazement, the Christmas Pig offers to guide him to the place where all lost Things go. Whiffs of childhood classics, assembled with admirable professionalism into a jolly adventure story that plays all the right chords, hang about this tale of loss and love. Along with family drama, Rowling stirs in fantasy, allegory, and generous measures of social and political commentary. Pursued by the Land’s cruel and monstrous Loser, Jack and the Christmas Pig pass through territories from the Wastes of the Unlamented, where booger-throwing Bad Habits roam, to the luxurious City of the Missed for encounters with Hope, Happiness, and Power (a choleric king who rejects a vote that doesn’t go his way). A joyful reunion on the Island of the Beloved turns poignant, but Christmas Eve being “a night for miracles and lost causes,” perhaps there’s still a chance (with a little help from Santa) for everything to come right? In both the narrative and Field’s accomplished, soft-focus illustrations, the cast presents White.
Plays to Rowling’s fan base; equally suited for gifting and reading aloud or alone. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-79023-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
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by J.K. Rowling
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by J.K. Rowling ; illustrated by Minalima
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by J.K. Rowling ; illustrated by Minalima
by Annie Matthew ; developed by Kobe Bryant ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 24, 2021
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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by Annie Matthew ; developed by Kobe Bryant
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