A lively adventure that charms and delights despite raw writing and an erratic plot.
In Feng’s (co-author Cool-Doo, 2012, etc.) children’s novel, a boy and his robot brothers attempt to save the world from an evil scientist—but they have to stop fighting first.
When Jack’s mother had a miscarriage, his parents had their neighbor create Cool-Doo, a robot brother to help him cope. Later, Jack tricks the neighbor into creating Sleepy-Doo, a robot friend for Cool-Doo. The problem? Now Jack’s robot brothers are better than him at everything. Cool-Doo especially gets on his nerves, being more helpful and heroic than Jack can ever be. Even at their adventure camp in an international space station, they compete when they’re supposed to work as a team. They become prank targets for Jr. Z, the son of a scientist supposedly saving the world from natural disasters using money donated by people like Jack’s parents. The brothers accidentally overhear a conversation between Dr. Z and Jr. Z and discover that Dr. Z is the villain, causing tornadoes and stealing money while pretending to work on a solution. Deciding that this is his chance to be the hero, Jack sneaks back to Earth to steal the controller for the Unmoved Mover, the machine causing the disasters. His brothers tag along, but unless they learn to get along, they might not make it. The plot can be a bit erratic, with the episodic scenes of the brothers’ fights at times pushing the main conflict—Dr. Z’s tornadoes—to the background. Still, these brotherly skirmishes help establish the siblings’ difficulty in getting along while also introducing Feng’s boisterous, slapstick humor, which generally involves Jack making situations worse for himself. Though action-packed and funny, the narration tends to be bland, with blunt emotions or overly explained events slowing its pace. Dialogue—snappy when it happens—could have broken up the monotony, as could more of the simple but fun illustrations. Overly convenient discoveries bring about an expected happy ending, and the heroics leave room for more world-saving adventures.
A lively adventure that charms and delights despite raw writing and an erratic plot.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-1495339585
Page Count: 148
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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