Such fun! And, happily, more to come! (Mystery. 6-11)
You might not guess, but Rory Branagan is a detective.
Rory’s dad disappeared seven years ago, and no one will tell Rory why—in fact no one tells him anything. Rory lives with his annoying brother, Seamus, and their mom and Auntie Jo (who is actually just a lodger, not their real aunt); his best friend is Wilkins Welkin, the neighbor’s sausage dog. When Cassidy Corrigan (or is it Callaghan?) moves in next door, she suggests Rory become a detective and find out the things no one tells him—and she volunteers to be his sidekick. When “Guinea Pig” Gilligan (father to odd neighbor Connor Gilligan) keels over in the street after eating takeout, Rory and Cassidy are on the case. The detective duo checks out the aptly named Deadly Pirate restaurant, where Auntie Jo works. At first, Rory is laughed at, but the mystery deepens…bad guys, poison octopuses, deception, betrayal…and Mom? Can they sort the case and get Seamus to admit Rory really is a detective? British actor, comic, and writer Clover’s foolishly fun detective series ably jumps the pond (there are five of a projected seven out in the U.K.), and fans of 13-Story Treehouse and the like will probably jump for joy. Lazar’s scribbly line drawings decorate most pages and often amusingly depict Rory’s imaginings. Characters present white.
Such fun! And, happily, more to come! (Mystery. 6-11)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5247-9364-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
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
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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