A rousing romp with deep themes.
Eleven-year-old twins Merlynda and Percy are descendants of the wizard Merlyn, who prophesied that a member of their generation would be destined for greatness.
Merlynda’s often explosive magical mishaps are legendary, so everyone assumes the Septimum Genus—the most powerful magician in their generation, the seventh since Merlyn—will be gifted Percy. But Merlynda receives her familiar first, and he says that she is the Septimum Genus. In another shocking twist, Percy suddenly disappears into a portal, but not before passing his sister a parchment bearing the name the Hollower. Merlynda and Iggy, her wormlike wyvern familiar, set out to save Percy, accompanied by Neci, the twins’ friend, a girl who desperately wants to be a knight. The rescue is their main focus, but as with any good legend, they tackle side quests and gain companions, including Batu, a boy minstrel with noteworthy fighting skills. It’s all very colorful, amusing, and action-packed and complemented by atmospheric spot art. Occasional notes from the narrator are interspersed when background information is needed. As they travel, the questers gain allies and enemies who fiercely clash when they finally confront another towering figure from Arthurian lore and attempt to secure Percy’s freedom. The youngsters’ adventures change them; they, Percy especially, must confront truths about themselves, even when that is uncomfortable, and develop strength of character. The twins read White; Neci is cued Black, and Batu has black hair and tawny skin.
A rousing romp with deep themes. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9781665918107
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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