A good-hearted good choice for budding fantasy fans
In this series opener, two children must solve a mystery to fix the magic mirror that makes winter possible.
A sweltering heat wave has descended upon the Enchanted Kingdom. When Kara visits her best friend, royal messenger Zed, she can’t resist checking out a message rejected by its royal recipient and marked “Return to Sender.” Princess Aspen needs help fixing her magic mirror in order to enable her ice magic to bring winter. After receiving permission from Zed’s gram, the proactive duo—plus a crow named Rooster—head off to try to help. They receive a frosty reception from the practically melting princess, who explains the mirror shattered; upon reassembly, it was missing a piece. She believes the culprit to be the sun princess, her sister, Sola. The heroes visit Sola, finding her friendly but exhausted, ready for summer to be over. While Sola knows nothing about the mirror mishap, the visit reveals the amusing true cause of the princesses’ feud—jealously over a shared monkey gifted by their parents. Both the monkey and the crow come into play in the satisfying resolution of the mirror mystery and in making peace between the princesses. The conflict is very gentle, posing no barrier to readers’ ability to grapple with the mystery, and the illustrations, plentiful. Aside from dark-skinned Zed and Gram, all characters in seen art are pale.
A good-hearted good choice for budding fantasy fans . (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-34971-9
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
Not likely to sneak past the early-reader set.
Giff’s Fiercely and Friends early-reader series limps along with this not-so-suspenseful tale.
The trio of Jilli, Jim and dog Fiercely who spied on a neighbor and her Big Red Schoolhouse, return for another semimysterious adventure. During a terrific snowstorm, Jilli has to take a break from reading to Fiercely about a sneaky snow fox—the story is just too scary. Jumping at every sound and seeing a snow fox around every corner, she is terrified by a knock on the door. It turns out to be just her friend, Jim. But while the door is open, the dog runs outside. The duo watch from an upstairs window as Fiercely tunnels his way toward a suspiciously foxy-looking tail in the snow. Is he brave or does he need help? The friends share Jim’s pair of skis and rush to the rescue. The ending will satisfy beginning readers with its coziness and lack of fright, though the buildup is overlong and repetitious. The four chapter divisions seem arbitrary, and the text suffers from the same exposition problems as the first title in the series (The Big Something, 2012), telling all the action rather than showing. Palmisciano’s oil pastels nicely convey the children’s emotions, though the ambiguity that "conceals" the identity of the snow fox may leave readers frustrated rather than amused.
Not likely to sneak past the early-reader set. (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-24458-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
All the fun of a mystery carried on the rhythm of the tropics.
Murilla the gorilla employs her detecting talents to track down a missing parasol.
Not surprisingly, it is raining in the African rain forest. It has rained right through Murilla’s roof, so she makes her way to the market, which, despite the rain, is all sunny colors, like the inside of a cupcake shop. Before Murilla can buy a new mop, Parrot requests help in tracking down a missing parasol from his shop. (In the rain forest, parasols are a hot commodity.) Dear Murilla, who, as the forest’s resident detective, has as much focusing power as Mr. Magoo, bumbles her way to the solution—elementary, but as gratifying as a ray of light breaking through the clouds, and one that allows all the citizens of the forest to remain innocent. This early reader is a pleasure but no gimme. There is plenty to challenge, starting with parasol but also magnifying glass, mandrill, okapi, chimpanzee and hammocks. This on top of Lee’s illustrations, which are not so much busy as full, especially with the mayhem of Murilla’s life. Despite that, there is a sense of equanimity; Murilla won’t, can’t, is utterly clueless about being hurried, and it is easy to imagine holding her hand and sauntering along as she uncovers what happened.
All the fun of a mystery carried on the rhythm of the tropics. (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-927018-23-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simply Read Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
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