A mostly engaging, enjoyable sequel.
Laing (Look Ahead, Look Back, 2012, etc.) continues the adventures of three time-traveling children in this second installment of the Snipesville Chronicles.
Having returned unscathed from WWII–era England, siblings Hannah and Alex and their friend Brandon find themselves accidentally headed back in time again, this time to the 1850s Industrial Revolution in Great Britain and the U.S. As in the previous novel, the three children get separated, though they end up working their ways back to one another over the course of the adventure. Alex in particular, who is alone in the antebellum American South, has difficulty coping with moral quandaries of the time. Also like the first book, the children must solve a mystery with implications for the present, and they once again receive help from quirky Dr. Harrower, who pops up throughout the story to help them and offer clues. There are just enough allusions to the first book to explain the children’s predicament, but the sequel isn’t quite as engaging as the first one, as the mystery here is harder to figure out and the stakes, difficult to discern. Furthermore, the professor remains a bit undeveloped: she’s supposed to be the kids’ (and, therefore, the readers’) guide to the magic found in the story, but she mostly seems befuddled, without a good sense of why she and the kids keep bouncing around through time. Yet Laing’s combination of historical detail and sheer sense of fun carry through and help make the story an enjoyable read. She brings her setting vividly to life and clearly conveys the specific pitfalls of the time period. However, as in the first book, some of the dialogue remains a little trite, especially from Hannah, an irritated teenager who spouts too many lines like “Whatever, TMI.” Laing still manages to bring a welcome breath of fresh air to the time-traveling adventure, and she thankfully leaves the door open for more books to continue the story.
A mostly engaging, enjoyable sequel.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-692-00125-7
Page Count: 299
Publisher: Confusion Press
Review Posted Online: July 24, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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A thrilling first installment in an adventurous new series.
An orphaned street urchin is recruited into an elite school for thieves.
In an alternate world where France is the dominant world power, 13-year-old Tom Morgan has had to scrimp, starve, and steal on the streets of London to survive. Born into a workhouse, he doesn’t know anything about his father, while his mother may have been from North Africa. One thing he does know is the sort of cruelty that awaits the poor who are sent to the workhouse, and he’s determined not to go back. But when their camp is raided and his friends are captured by workhouse agents, the only thing Tom can think of is how to get them out. Enter the Corsair, a cunning and mysterious man with a proposition: He wants to recruit Tom into Beaufort’s School for Deceptive Arts. From nabbing treasures to forging identity papers, Beaufort’s promises to teach Tom everything he needs to know to become a Shadow Thief and a member of the Shadow League, the secret global organization that helps keep the world’s political power in balance. But Beaufort’s has its own rules and secrets, and if Tom is to survive long enough to help his friends, he’ll need to figure them out quickly. Clever and gripping, this fast-paced boarding school story will appeal to fans of the Mysterious Benedict Society and Spy School series.
A thrilling first installment in an adventurous new series. (Adventure. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781665982283
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel.
Sandy and his family, Japanese Canadians, experience hatred and incarceration during World War II.
Sandy Saito loves baseball, and the Vancouver Asahi ballplayers are his heroes. But when they lose in the 1941 semifinals, Sandy’s dad calls it a bad omen. Sure enough, in December 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor in the U.S. The Canadian government begins to ban Japanese people from certain areas, moving them to “dormitories” and setting a curfew. Sandy wants to spend time with his father, but as a doctor, his dad is busy, often sneaking out past curfew to work. One night Papa is taken to “where he [is] needed most,” and the family is forced into an internment camp. Life at the camp isn’t easy, and even with some of the Asahi players playing ball there, it just isn’t the same. Trying to understand and find joy again, Sandy struggles with his new reality and relationship with his father. Based on the true experiences of Japanese Canadians and the Vancouver Asahi team, this graphic novel is a glimpse of how their lives were affected by WWII. The end is a bit abrupt, but it’s still an inspiring and sweet look at how baseball helped them through hardship. The illustrations are all in a sepia tone, giving it an antique look and conveying the emotions and struggles. None of the illustrations of their experiences are overly graphic, making it a good introduction to this upsetting topic for middle-grade readers.
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel. (afterword, further resources) (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0334-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
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