by Caroline Merola & illustrated by Caroline Merola ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 10, 2010
Pickles McPhee longs for adventure. What’s a six-foot-tall, horned, forest-dwelling, blue-striped beast to do? She stows away in the trunk of a car to see the big city, of course. She’s amazed by smooth streets and bright lights. Then she meets little Martha, who’s up late waiting for the Tooth Fairy. Breaking many rules, the two set off. They play in the deserted park and swim in an empty public pool. When they come to a candy shop, Martha insists that Pickles get them inside despite the locked door. The police arrive, and Martha hides while Pickles hoofs it. When the beast is cornered, Martha comes forward and owns up to the police and her parents, who take Pickles home. Merola’s monster story from the monster’s point of view may not sit well with some, due to its cheerful lawlessness. Martha’s realistic childish behavior clearly makes her this tale’s real “monster,” but she takes responsibility and is appropriately remorseful, however. Translated from the French (Canadian), with bright, cartoon full-page and vignette illustrations. A good addition to large collections. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-77049-200-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2010
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by Caroline Merola ; illustrated by Caroline Merola
by Stan Kirby & illustrated by George O'Connor ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 3, 2012
As Captain Awesome would say, this kid is “MI-TEE!” (Fiction. 5-8)
The town of Sunnyview got a little bit safer when 8-year-old Eugene McGillicudy moved in.
Just like his comic-book mentor, Super Dude, Eugene, aka Captain Awesome, is on a one-man mission is to save the world from supervillains, like the nefarious “Queen Stinkypants from Planet Baby.” Just as Eugene suspected, plenty of new supervillains await him at Sunnyview Elementary. Are Meredith Mooney and the mind-reading Ms. Beasley secretly working together to try and force Eugene to reveal his secret identity? Will Principal Brick Foot succeed in throwing Captain Awesome into the “Dungeon of Detention?” Fortunately, Eugene isn’t forced to go it alone. Charlie Thomas Jones, fellow comic-book lover and Super Dude fan, stands ready and willing to help. When the class hamster goes missing, Captain Awesome must don his cape and, with the help of his new best friend, ride to the rescue. Kirby’s funny and engaging third-person narration and O’Connor’s hilarious illustrations make the book easily accessible and enormously appealing, particularly to readers who have recently graduated to chapter books. But it is the quirky, mischievous Eugene that really makes this book special. His energy and humor are contagious, and his dogged commitment to his superhero alter ego is enough to make anyone a believer.
As Captain Awesome would say, this kid is “MI-TEE!” (Fiction. 5-8)Pub Date: April 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4090-6
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2012
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by Stan Kirby & illustrated by George O'Connor
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by Stan Kirby & illustrated by George O'Connor
by Jordan Quinn ; illustrated by Robert McPhillips ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014
A gentle adventure that sets the stage for future quests.
A lonely prince gains a friend for a quest to find a missing jewel.
Prince Lucas of Wrenly has everything a boy could possibly want—except a friend. His father has forbidden him to play with the village children for reasons of propriety. Adventure-seeking Lucas acquires peasant clothes to masquerade as a commoner and make friends, but he is caught out. His mother, the queen, persuades the king to allow him one friend: Clara, the daughter of her personal dressmaker. When the queen’s prized emerald pendant goes missing, Lucas and Clara set off to find it. They follow the jewel as it changes hands, interviewing each temporary owner. Their adventure cleverly introduces the series’ world and peoples, taking the children to the fairy island of Primlox, the trolls’ home of Burth, the wizard island of Hobsgrove and finally Mermaid’s Cove. By befriending the mermaids, Lucas and Clara finally recover the jewel. In thanks, the king gives Clara a horse of her own so that she may ride with Lucas on their future adventures. The third-person narration is generally unobtrusive, allowing the characters to take center stage. The charming, medieval-flavored illustrations set the fairy-tale scene and take up enough page space that new and reluctant readers won’t be overwhelmed by text.
A gentle adventure that sets the stage for future quests. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-9691-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
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by Jordan Quinn ; illustrated by Glass House Graphics
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