by Cameron Macintosh ; illustrated by Dave Atze ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 2019
A helter-skelter caper from Down Under, with the occasional “broken gizmatron or ancient thingami-bot” from ages past to...
An ancient artifact, LOL, leads a 25th-century fugitive from the Skyburb 7 Home for Unclaimed Urchins and his beagle-bot, Oscar, to buried treasure.
The small black item that his museum-worker friend Jessie hands over seems uninteresting to Max at first…until he manages to charge it up and discovers that it’s a 400-year-old cellphone with a trove of selfies—one of which shows a long-lost statue of famous actor–turned-politician Nicole Squidman. Can Max use clues from the photo to find the priceless statue, then keep both it and himself out of the clutches of archnemesis Capt. Selby of the Recapture Squad, and perhaps even track down a descendant of the phone’s owner? No problem…with plenty of help from Jessie and Oscar (a surprisingly capable robo-pooch with a 3-D printer in its butt), plus a few massive contrivances from Macintosh. Atze’s occasional cartoon vignettes add an appropriate vibe to a largely white futuristic world of hover-skates, robo-rats, and floating suburbs. But some things, like friends, bullies, and the special relationship between a boy and his dog, never change. A “Sleuth Truth” appendix fills in the cellphone’s early years.
A helter-skelter caper from Down Under, with the occasional “broken gizmatron or ancient thingami-bot” from ages past to puzzle over. (Science fiction/mystery. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5383-8465-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Cameron Macintosh ; illustrated by Dave Atze
More by Cameron Macintosh
BOOK REVIEW
by Cameron Macintosh ; illustrated by Dave Atze
by Martin Widmark ; illustrated by Helena Willis ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2014
Nicely paced, with just the right number of red herrings to keep readers thinking; they will hope the number 1 on the spine...
Jerry and Maya, classmates and friends, spend their spare time solving mysteries in their hometown of Pleasant Valley in this Swedish import.
Things are not so pleasant for Mohammed Carat, the richest man in Pleasant Valley. His world-famous jewelry store is losing money; apparently, one of his employees is stealing valuable diamonds and gems. The police are no help, so Mr. Carat turns to the youngsters for help. Each employee is a suspect: Vivian is in money trouble, former owner Danny wants his store back, and Luke’s flashy spending is suspicious. Jerry and Maya are hired to help out around the shop—washing windows, taking out the trash and so forth—but really they are there to watch the employees, both from inside the shop and from the church tower next door. Young mystery aficionados will enjoy solving the puzzle along with Maya and Jerry and will admire their observational powers. Full-color cartoon illustrations add much to the story, helping readers to see what the young gumshoes do. A map of Pleasant Valley and an illustrated cast of characters are provided in the early pages, allowing new readers an excellent reference tool to keep the many characters straight.
Nicely paced, with just the right number of red herrings to keep readers thinking; they will hope the number 1 on the spine indicates that this is the first of many Maya and Jerry mysteries. (Mystery. 7-9)Pub Date: July 31, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-448-48067-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
Share your opinion of this book
More by Martin Widmark
BOOK REVIEW
by Martin Widmark ; illustrated by Emilia Dziubak ; translated by Polly Lawson
BOOK REVIEW
by Martin Widmark ; illustrated by Emilia Dziubak ; translated by Polly Lawson
by Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Samantha Kallis ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 26, 2016
Eeney meeney miney moe, catch this series before it goes! (Adventure. 7-9)
Two kids get up close and personal with some great works of art in this first in a new series.
Tiger Brooks is used to his little sister’s fantastical stories. So when the top-hatted orange pig she describes turns out to be not only real, but a next-door neighbor, Tiger enlists the help of his kooky new friend, Luna, to investigate. It turns out the pig works for the reclusive painter Viola Dots. Years ago a magical picture frame swallowed up her only son, and she’s searched for him in artworks ever since. When Tiger’s tinkering starts the magic up again, he and Luna are sucked into a reproduction of Henri Rousseau’s Surprised! or Tiger in a Tropical Storm, hungry predator and all. After meeting and failing to rescue Viola’s son in this adventure, the series is set up for the intrepid pair to infiltrate other classic paintings in the future. Backmatter provides information on the real Rousseau and his life. Oliver keeps the plot itself snappy and peppy. While there are few surprises, there’s also an impressive lack of lag time. This is helped in no small part by Kallis’ art, which goes from pen-and-ink drawings to full-blown color images once the kids cross over into the painting. Tiger is a white boy, and Luna is a dark-haired Latina.
Eeney meeney miney moe, catch this series before it goes! (Adventure. 7-9)Pub Date: April 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-448-48087-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
Share your opinion of this book
More by Henry Winkler
BOOK REVIEW
by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Dan Santat
BOOK REVIEW
by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Ethan Nicolle
BOOK REVIEW
by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.