Avast, ye scurvy dogs (and cats!), set sail for a rollicking adventure from the politest pirate around!
Sail the seven seas with a hero who would really rather just nap.
Our perpetually reluctant feline adventurer returns—after 2025’s Murray the Viking and Murray the Knight—for another tale of derring-do. This time a slip through his magical cat door plunges Murray and his perky companion Bun (a cheery dessert-bun-turned-rabbit, complete with a cherry tail) into a seaside town. Now dressed in full pirate gear, Murray is at first delighted when the citizens start to give him things without prompting. Unfortunately, his polite acceptance draws the attention of Captain Patch and his dastardly crew. Pirates don’t say thank you—such behavior goes against the pirate code! The pirates kidnap Murray and Bun, but soon it’s clear that this crew would much rather fish or open flower shops than terrorize the seven seas. While attempting to find hidden gold to finance a floral business, Patch and company run into a terrifying monster; now it’s up to Murray to (eventually) save the day! Though Murray’s ever the gentleman, his natural disinclination to engage in adventure inevitably allows him to indulge in some mundane delights. Stower milks maximum humor out of the book’s page turns and lengthy sequences yet keeps the mood lighthearted. Human characters range in skin tone.
Avast, ye scurvy dogs (and cats!), set sail for a rollicking adventure from the politest pirate around! (Chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9798217031047
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Charming.
An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.
Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.
Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781665942485
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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