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THE TRAIN OF DARK WONDERS

From the Train of Dark Wonders Adventure series , Vol. 1

A delightful, multilayered confection, sweet and sharp at the core.

Stowing away on a magical circus train leads a child to friends, adventures, and all the candy she can eat.

Friendless, bullied, 11-year-old Bess is thrilled to inherit her grandfather Henry’s Odditorium, but maintaining the museum’s peculiar exhibits turns out to be a challenge: Where, for instance, is she going to get magic beans to feed the toothy, whispering flowers growing all over the ramshackle mansion’s walls? Fortunately, Pops also left her a letter steering her to the titular train; unfortunately, the ensuing ride through the underground tunnels of the intercontinental Troll Network deposits her in the Land of Halloween Candy, which has turned creepy under the influence of a powerful magician known as the Candymaker. But Bess delights in weird and scary things and has, moreover, found fire witch Maria and other young allies aboard the train. Neither the sinister Candymaker nor the Land of Halloween’s cute resident gummy bears turn out to be quite what they seem—so, around an intrepid protagonist, a redoubtable supporting cast, a highly caloric setting, and all sorts of magical creatures from sugar spiders and ninja mice to dragons both huge and pocket-size, Bell weaves a tale shot through with the worthy insight that it’s not always possible to tell good from evil at first glance. In both the narrative and Castro’s atmospherically gothic illustrations, Bess is cued white; the rest of the human cast includes racial diversity.

A delightful, multilayered confection, sweet and sharp at the core. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9780861545988

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Rock the Boat/Oneworld

Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024

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SECRETS OF THE PURPLE PEARL

From the Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science series , Vol. 2

Unforgettably quirky, fast-paced fun.

In a race against their enemies, the Porch girls must find a peculiar pearl in order to foil a fiendish plot.

After defeating a monstrous Kyrgalops in The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science (2024), Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee Porch find themselves (after a series of madcap events) at Lake Kagloopy’s Purple Pearl Hotel with their mentor, Millicent Quibb. Quibb informs the trio that they must find the titular pearl before the members of their evil mad-scientist rivals, the KRA, do. If they fail, the KRA (whose members include the malevolent mayor, Majestina DeWeen, and her slimy sycophantic lawyer, Ashley Cookie) plans to use the gem to bestow the Gift of Endless Vibrancy on the villainous Talon Sharktūth. Hilarity ensues as the Porches attend the annual Shrimp Ball, encounter Umbrella Turkeys, search for Cloudite (floating cloud rocks), and don invisible but smelly woolen coats. Jokes aside, the girls’ story is intriguing, offering more clues to their mysterious backgrounds and tantalizing tidbits promising later adventures. McKinnon offers bountiful backstory (alongside a running joke to encourage readers to pick up the preceding volume) and enough guffaw-inducing jokes, zany footnotes, and creative jargon to enthrall readers both new and old with her delightful sophomore effort. Mixing humor, found family, and well-wrought worldbuilding, this sequel is a certain crowd pleaser. Final art not seen; in the previous book, the grayscale illustrations showed the girls with varying skin tones.

Unforgettably quirky, fast-paced fun. (appendices) (Adventure. 8-12)

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025

ISBN: 9780316555296

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025

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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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