Wisely writing under an assumed name, D.W. Gibson defines the difference between entertainment and self indulgence with this tedious, disconnected tale, told by a pirate captain abandoned by his crew and left to drift aboard a ship filled with looted jellybeans. Being slower on the uptake than anyone else turns out to be Redbeard’s only consistent trait, as he starts out murderous and choleric, closes as a jolly sort, who frets over the accidental death of a pet rat, and in between, is tossed up on Fundorado. This is a floating island paradise protected by something called “sparkletricity” and inhabited by numerous unique but poorly described creatures, including Fernobarb, a raging devil with an appetite for newcomers. Redbeard begins in pirate talk punctuated with set-off anecdotes dubbed “Side Order Stories,” but abandons both in mid-voyage for a more straightforward narrative that ambles along at the same pace whether he’s describing storm or calm, natural wonders or the violent climactic battle. Young readers will consign it to the bottom of Davy Jones’s Locker. Frequent illustrations, not seen. (Fantasy. 11-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2006
ISBN: 0-385-73267-8
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2006
Hillenbrand takes license with the familiar song (the traditional words and music are reproduced at the end) to tell an enchanting story about baby animals picked up by the train and delivered to the children’s zoo. The full-color drawings are transportingly jolly, while the catchy refrain—“See the engine driver pull his little lever”—is certain to delight readers. Once the baby elephant, flamingo, panda, tiger, seal, and kangaroo are taken to the zoo by the train, the children—representing various ethnic backgrounds, and showing one small girl in a wheelchair—arrive. This is a happy book, filled with childhood exuberance. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201804-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More absorbing, straight-arrow adventures set in the medieval, alternate world kingdom of Araluen and featuring the three apprentices introduced in The Ruins of Gorlan (2005). As the brutish wargals of Morgorath, Lord of Rain and Night, gather for an invasion, deft young Will and his strapping friend Horace discover that Morgorath has planned a complex feint that, unless scotched, will spell doom for the armies of Araluen. The third apprentice, diplomat-in-training Alyss, is relegated to a subplot in this outing, but is sure to play larger roles in future episodes. Flanagan explains more than he needs to but propels the plot forward at a heady clip, stirring in live-wire characters who are still learning the finer points of their assigned professions but prove equal to each challenge they face. He also adds to the company a young fugitive who is far more than the lady’s maid she claims to be, and closes with the requisite battle, a breathtaking single combat—and a dismaying lead-in to the next episode. It all adds up to a winning formula that should prove out to a long, steady run for this above average series. (Fantasy. 11-13)
Pub Date: June 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-399-24455-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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