Good friends and familiar situations will make readers feel at home in this second volume of the series.
The Sprout Street neighborhood is shaken up by the arrival of a new resident.
Mili, short for Mililani, has just moved from Hawaii to Sprout Street. Mili is excited to move into the long-vacant apartment 2B and is eager to meet her new neighbors, but there are a few bumps to her transition. Violet is a little nervous because Mili might be more of an artist than she is. Emma wants to be Mili’s friend but realizes that Mili enjoys “me time.” Henry is worried when the neighborhood needs to decide whether to change the color of their building or not, and he finds himself on the other side of the color argument from Mili. And so it goes until all the neighbors realize that they can be themselves and be friendly with Mili at the same time. In the final chapter, Mili has some second thoughts about moving to the wintry climate. She indulges in a little self-pity but comes around when her friends have a New Year’s party, Hawaii-style. The six illustrated chapters are at just the right level for new readers looking for a little bit of a challenge. Alter is beginning to flesh out her animal characters in this second installation, so readers of the first book will enjoy finding out how they change and develop.
Good friends and familiar situations will make readers feel at home in this second volume of the series. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-385-75562-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2015
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
Disconcerting and possibly deadly dealings are afoot; certain to charm younger fans of the macabre.
In the latest installment of the delightfully disturbing chapter-book series, the mundane once more takes on supernatural qualities, this time in the form of veggies.
With this follow-up to Troubling Tonsils! (2025), our host, Jasper Rabbit, once more channels Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling. As Jasper narrates, we meet our heroes: fourth graders Thaddeus Badger and Oliver Possum, who love nothing more than eating junk food, particularly the hamburgers at Hurt-A-Burger (a mildly brilliant corporate name on the author’s part). When Oliver’s parents trick the two into a dinner of salads at their favorite fast-food joint, Thaddeus feels betrayed, but Oliver experiences something a little more dire. Soon after, Oliver starts acting strangely, and his parents begin behaving even more oddly. What’s going on? And does it have anything to do with the full moon? Tone is the true star of the show in this series; the mystery unspools thanks to the buildup of unnerving moments. Reynolds combines suspense with a keen ability to artistically frame both sunny innocent sequences and those rich with dark foreboding. Notably, this is no morality tale about eating your vegetables—this tale is fully on the side of its child readers. Brown’s black-and-white images, punctuated with eerie pops of green, heighten both horrifying and comedic moments.
Disconcerting and possibly deadly dealings are afoot; certain to charm younger fans of the macabre. (Chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781665961110
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
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