A safe adventure packed with imagination.
This debut novel sees six young school friends transported to a magical land and trained to be its protectors.
Twelve-year-old identical twins Jenna and Hallie Dalmore and their friends Jules, Lindsay, Alan, and Thomas live on the same street in Peterborough, Ontario. One day, Jenna and Hallie arrive home from school and find an old friend of their mom’s waiting—Annabel Scott, who hasn’t seen them since they were babies. Annabel is from Pawcombe, a magical realm that can be entered only by way of Root Paths—trees that exist both in Pawcombe and Canada, linking the two places. She says that Jenna, Hallie, and the others are in danger. Unbeknown to them, all six were born in Pawcombe and have a dangerous enemy there. Now that the evil Zyngor has learned of their existence, the Sought Six have no choice but to return home and fight him. Annabel herself was once part of a Sought Six group, as were Jenna and Hallie’s mom and Jules’ uncle. The six friends will be trained well. But can they survive Zyngor’s attacks and beat him to the Sterling Cone—a powerful artifact that in his hands could plunge Pawcombe into ruins? When discussing their friendship group, Jenna and Hallie make reference to the Fantastic Four and the Magnificent Seven. An equally apt comparison would be The Famous Five or others of Enid Blyton’s numerous middle-grade series. Klug upholds the Blyton tradition, crafting a simply told story with plenty of action and exposition and perhaps one or two protagonists more than necessary. Jenna and Hallie are distinct characters (in both speech and personality), as are Alan and Thomas, but Jules and Lindsay don’t offer much in this series opener. The adults in the tale are memorable and always sufficiently close at hand that young readers won’t be taken too far from their comfort zone. The plot moves quickly, its twists not so subtly foreshadowed. Klug’s prose may not be the most polished, but for most readers that won’t matter. Like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, the sparkle here comes from an abundance of magical ideas. Knock four times—Pawcombe awaits.
A safe adventure packed with imagination.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-913206-01-7
Page Count: 322
Publisher: Emmie Press
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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