Though set in an English country village, this is no tale of pastoral beauty. The Depression has dispersed Mary's family: While her miner father is looking for work and sister Phyl is a kitchen maid at a distant manor, Mary and her mother are home with two younger children. Until she turns 12 and can get part time work, Mary's only hope for earning money is in racing her father's pigeons, including the promising Speedwell. Worn down by poverty and dreams gone awry, her practical mother is scornful of the sport; when food runs out and she cooks up three pigeons, Mary runs away. Turnbull's story demands that readers infer the details of pigeon racing, but rewards them with the subtle revelation of Mary's courage and determination. Her family's struggles become bitterly apparent with each new initiative, while Mary's simple, childish dreams of prizes and the resolution of her worries about her mother's lack of affection unleash the novel's optimism. The ending is not entirely upbeat, but it's gratifying and realistic. A striking jacket by Reg Cartwright will grab readers from the start. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1992
ISBN: 1-56402-112-2
Page Count: 119
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1992
On the heels of his triumphant acting debut (Nutty the Movie Star, 1989), Nutty Nutsell—now known as ``Parker House''— captures the lead in The Tae Kwon Do Guy, a bad movie that (he realizes) is perfectly suited to his lack of talent. Worse, a disgruntled ghost is out to sabotage the flick and bring an end to the career of mercurial director Damian Deveraux. Can Nutty survive the ghost-hunting schemes of his brainy friend William Bilks, and also bow gracefully out of the film project? Yes—especially once he discovers that the ghost is willing to make a deal. Nutty displays both common sense and a stout heart in this seventh episode in a lightweight, popular series. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 31, 1993
ISBN: 0-689-31743-3
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1993
A gallery of bizarre denizens, past and present, with vibrantly colorful illustrations and intriguing facts. Scale is suggested by contemporary multiracial children, who cavort with the other species. Young browsers will yearn for the time of the miniature elephant or the giant shaggy unicorn, and marvel at an extinct crocodilian that shook its prey to death or contemporary deep-sea creatures like the tripod fish, which walks the ocean floor on its sensitive fin rays. Peters—a compelling storyteller and an imaginative illustrator—rarely gives size, range, or complete scientific names, making some of the information hard to verify, but, still, this is fascinating fodder for science fans and SF buffs. Index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 14, 1992
ISBN: 0-688-10154-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1992
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