A comfortable, wise tale that is more than anything a story of friendship.
The second School Ship Tobermory installment finds the MacTavish twins cementing friendships and solving mysteries in the Caribbean.
The book opens at the beginning of a school holiday for the diverse student body of the School Ship Tobermory—a sailing ship based in Scotland that is also a boarding school. Twelve-year-old white twins Fee and Ben MacTavish are preparing to spend their holiday at home with their marine-scientist parents when they realize that three of their friends live too far away to go home. In their warmhearted fashion, the twins invite the three to their home. A dangling storyline that will no doubt be picked up in a further installment ensues. Back onboard Tobermory post-holiday, the students and their teachers set sail for the Caribbean. In Antigua, they meet Mike, a black, 13-year-old islander who has had to give up his education to help support his family after his fisherman father mysteriously disappeared two years previously. A cozy mystery instilled with wholesome values, intelligence, and action follows. While Ben and Fee figure prominently, McCall Smith, in his assured third-person narration (with the occasional second-person popping up) branches out and lets other characters drive the plot. McIntosh’s black-and-white illustrations follow the same format as the first book and are just as effective.
A comfortable, wise tale that is more than anything a story of friendship. (backmatter) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-55401-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As Button puts it: “We may be tiny, but we’re still fearsome.” Aye to that.
Two-inch pirates sally forth to the rescue when their cat is kidnapped by malign mice.
When Pepper Jack and his knavish crew of wall-dwelling rodents spirit off furry Jones, they leave an eloquent if nonverbal ransom note consisting of pictures of a cat and a wedge of cheese. Instantly, intrepid ship’s boy Button, matey Lily, Capt. Crabsticks, and seasoned salt Old Uncle Noggin set out from their junk-store ship in a bottle to raid the chilly realm of Fridge in the owner’s back apartment for the redolent ransom (and to restock their own larder). Neither attacks from voracious woodlice and a gigantic slobbery dog nor the slimy necessity of hiding out in a tub of margarine and a half-used can of dog food sway the expedition from its mission(s). A cutaway view of the shop at the end with labels aplenty allows readers to retrace the outing’s winding course. Festooning his simply told yarn with drawings of diminutive buccaneers (all white) in exaggeratedly swashbuckling costume amid the clutter and outsized provender of a human-sized world, Mould brings his Pocket Pirates series to this side of the briny deep in fine adventuresome style.
As Button puts it: “We may be tiny, but we’re still fearsome.” Aye to that. (Fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: June 12, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9115-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Doggone fun.
An unlikely dog becomes the star of a popular dog adventure television show in this series opener.
Fred the dog is a “bitzer. A little bit of this, a little bit of that.” He idolizes Dog Squad, a television show featuring live-action dogs in daring escapades, and its canine leading star, Duke. Since Fred’s original owner dumped him at an animal shelter, he’s been living in New York City with Big Tony, who hopes to turn him into a ferocious guard dog and sell him for a big profit. An alley confrontation lands Fred back in the animal shelter, but this time he’s rescued by entertainment industry animal trainer Jenny Yen and her young niece (and self-proclaimed pet psychic), Abby. Ideal for reluctant readers with its short chapters, energetic illustrations, plentiful action, and “pawsome” puns, this light fantasy follows Fred, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Duke, as he adopts the starring role in Dog Squad when Duke becomes injured. But does this unassuming dog have what it takes to be a hero both on and off the camera when a natural disaster, a dognapper, and more disasters strike? Teamwork from Abby and co-stars help guide the way and set the scene for more installments. An author’s note touchingly describes the Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series creator’s source of inspiration: his own Fred, a formerly stray, retired Broadway canine star.
Doggone fun. (Animal fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-30173-9
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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