Twins Kevin and Joules Rockman are happy they’re spending a week at Camp Whatsitooya on the shores of Lake Whatsosmelly, because it means they don’t have to accompany their parents to the International SPAMathon. Their parents would (and do) put the barely edible meat-like substance in everything. The camp’s pretty lame, but craft-crazed Ms. Jones, her two batty counselors and a passel of oddball campers become the least of the twins’ worries when people start vanishing and brain-controlling monster-bunnies attack. Thank goodness Kevin’s studied survival tactics in awful horror movies and Joules is proficient with pointed sticks. With the help of clueless Nelson and a secret ingredient you can probably guess, the Rockman twins attempt to save the world from slavering, fanged, man- (and candy-) eating fluffy bunnies. Beaty’s tale of high silliness is sure to please, and it’s dotted with Santat’s mini-comics and spot illustrations, which move the story along. If at times the reach for a larff is a bit of a stretch, it’s all in fun. The hint at a possible sequel will have humorous-adventure lovers asking. (Adventure. 7-10)
Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8109-8416-5
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 30, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A quest just right for readers on the cusp of Percy Jackson.
Looking to feed the insatiable appetite of mythology-mad readers comes a new series that brings the legendary characters up close and personal, especially for four elementary students who face off against Greek and Norse monsters.
Owen realizes the day is unusual when his friend, Dana, gets sucked through the school floor while a voice hisses, “The…battle…begins…” Owen teams up with Jon and Sydney to rescue her, and, with the help of Bulfinch’s Mythology, they begin a surreal adventure with mythological beasts come to life. They discover that one of the entrances to the Underworld is in their school basement and that all the Underworlds, one for every branch of mythology, are linked. Moreover, the creatures are escaping. Armed with the Lyre of Orpheus, which, when strummed, gives Owen the power of persuasion, they make a deal with Hades, who gives them a chance to find Dana. They do battle with the likes of Cerberus, Myrmidons and Loki. Hades, however, is a double dealer who ups the ante: They are forced do his bidding or lose Dana forever—which becomes the catalyst for the next installment. Intricate black-and-white sketches of mythical monsters and maps enhance this lean and lively tale.
A quest just right for readers on the cusp of Percy Jackson. (glossary) (Adventure. 7-10)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-30831-1
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
Fast-moving quest fantasy with cool vocabulary and a quickly written vibe.
Fighting pirates and waking a phoenix in a volcano are the two primary events in this third installment of a six-part outer-space animal-steampunk adventure.
Hedgehogs Trundle and Esmeralda, with their pal Jack the troubadour squirrel, are bashing around outer space, hunting down six crowns of power. The pirates finally catch up with them, and there’s a swashbuckling battle with various weaponry and explosions. As ever, Jones breezily whips up his own steampunk-flavored natural laws and workings (skyboats are wind-powered, and when wind is low, treadles and propellers do the trick; outer space has dawn, dusk and the objective directions “upward” and “downward”). These are leavened with a touch of classic fantasy science (a “powerstone” keeps each vessel afloat). A long farting scene and a sulfur, treacle and brimstone potion will delight fans of all things stinky. Action moves swiftly, and language is blusterously playful (“Kill ’em to death, y’ swabs!”). Readers who enjoy predictable plots and procedure—one crown per book—will be well satisfied. Others will chafe at the slapdash rhymes that resist scansion (“This clue you have found in the phoenix bird’s fire. / You must seek for the Crown of Ice in the land of Spyre!”). Old age, scars, mental illness and ethnicity (Esmeralda is “Roamany”) get cheap stereotyping.
Fast-moving quest fantasy with cool vocabulary and a quickly written vibe. (Animal steampunk. 7-10)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-200629-5
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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