In this glacially paced sequel to Dragon Keeper (2005), Ping fusses, fumes, frets and eventually proves herself worthy of caring for the newly hatched dragon she’s been given. Recaptured by Imperial troops after a few months in hiding, Ping and her purple, puppy-like charge find themselves (supposedly) back in the Emperor’s good graces and (also supposedly) safe from the murderous Necromancer—who is inexplicably alive after falling down a cliff in the first episode, and still out to render the dragonling into an elixir of immortality. Many chapters of hand-wringing ensue as Ping chews on various, mostly fancied, failures. Eventually, she sets out to find her lost family—a quest that ends anticlimactically but at least jump-starts a chain of revelations and betrayals that culminate in a second, if even more obviously inconclusive, face-off with the Necromancer. A map’s magical appearance at the end leads in to volume three (already out in Australia), and at least one more chance for the author to make good on the opener’s promise. (Fantasy. 11-13)
Pub Date: July 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4231-0338-7
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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