The author of The Deep Freeze of Bartholomew Tullock (2008) again wastes a promising premise on a tale shot through with weak logic, wooden dialogue and inconsistent characterizations. Having recruited a creature who can extract and absorb the special qualities of others, villainous mediocrity Fortescue has set out to rob all the human prodigies of the world—somehow persuading his monster to hand over the talents (which resemble Easter eggs when drawn from their owners’ heads) rather than consume them itself. This nefarious scheme is dealt a severe setback when the creature deprives sulky teenager Cressida Bloom of her extraordinary singing voice, and Cressida’s astonishingly thick-skinned, supposedly no-talent little brother Adam sets out to get it back. Along the way Adam collects two of Fortescue’s adult victims, whose budding romance provides a welcome distraction from the lumbering plot and meant-to-be-funny-but-not lines like, “You make me feel strangely uneasy, as if I’ve just eaten a moldy sandwich and I’m waiting for the ill effects to kick in.” With massive reworking, the film version, purportedly in the early stages of development, might be salvageable. (Fantasy. 11-13)
Pub Date: June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25278-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
Rife with adventure, this title from Grover (Dolphin Adventure, 1990, etc.) continues the story of his ongoing relationship with a special group of dolphins in Florida. When poachers from nearby Bahamas capture Baby and several other dolphins, Grover, with the assistance of friends Amos and Jack, sets out to rescue them. Their daring plan takes them to Dead Man Cay, a notorious island where they discover not only Baby and the members of his pod, but a shocking total of 14 wild dolphins penned in fetid concrete tanks, bound for amusement centers throughout Mexico. The danger to Grover and his allies is real; the poachers interrupt their escape and are clearly intent on killing them. The dolphins ultimately save their human friends. For those keeping tallies, dolphins emerge as more civilized than humans in most of this tale. Grover details the poachers’ brutal treatment of the creatures and several violent interactions between them and the rescuers, while the dolphins merely play “seamen soccer” with the villains. References to Grover’s inexplicable mental connection to the creatures, especially in times of crisis, combined with intimations that the tale may be autobiographical, will encourage readers to explore the complex lives of dolphins. The fast-paced action never overwhelms the cause—protecting the dolphins—that is so obviously dear to the author’s heart. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-16010-7
Page Count: 109
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
That Bynum comes up with so many lines to rhyme with “Altoona Baboona” deserves some kind of acclaim, even if the rhymes make readers laugh and groan at the same time. Altoona Baboona is an ape that “gets bored on her dune-a,” hops a “hot air balloon-a” and goes south to “Calcun-a.” On her hot air travels Altoona meets up with a loon-a and a racoon-a, who come back to the dune-a for an evening bonfire and roasted marshmallows. Bynum’s watercolors have a breezy ocean air feel to them, as light and buoyant as her simian heroine. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201860-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
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