Readers of Barkbelly (2006) have likely been wondering what adventures lay in store for Snowbone, the pale wooden girl with the forceful personality. Like Barkbelly’s, her story is expansive and episodic. It takes place in the same imaginary world, but introduces new characters and situations. Rather than being a solitary soul in search of home and kin, Snowbone is blessed from the start with a stalwart band of friends. Most were born with her aboard the pirate ship; others are met along the way. But all join in her quest to stamp out the slave trade that preys upon the wooden Ashenpeakers. Their adventures lead them from Ashenpeake Island to the heart of a volcano, up into the skies and to the far-off Nova Land. Some of the band are lost along the way and the ultimate triumph owes as much to spiritual seeking as to battle skills, but the conclusion is a satisfying one, and Snowbone’s growth from a voracious baby to a thoughtful, inspiring leader is both satisfying and convincing. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: July 10, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-375-83328-1
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Resembling a Golden Age comic without the pictures, this tale pits a group of small-town children with superpowers—call them “preteen titans”—against a shadowy menace that robs them of those powers on their 13th birthdays. Coming to town with his family to care for his dying grandma, Daniel quickly spots his neighbor Mollie and her friends performing incredible feats. Soon he’s in their confidence, as they demonstrate combinations of super-speed, super-strength, enhanced senses and the ability to turn invisible. All of them can also hear the clock ticking, however. Gifted not with superpowers but a sharp mind and a fondness for Sherlock Holmes stories, Daniel sets out to discover how and why his new friends, like generations of their predecessors, are being robbed of their abilities. Where those abilities come from never enters in, but the obligatory wily supervillain does, leading to a titanic climactic battle. Cody wears his influences on his sleeve, but has some fun with them (one lad’s “power” is a super-stench) and crafts a tribute that, unlike M.T. Anderson’s Whales On Stilts (2005), is more admiring than silly. (Fantasy. 10-12)
Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-375-85595-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2009
A colorful cast in which even the ferocious Silversides comes in for a dash or two of sympathy, plus a plot replete with, of...
Avi elaborates on the “city mouse, country mouse” theme in this rousing prequel to Poppy (1995), starring Poppy’s ill-fated beau.
Impelled by wanderlust to hop a train to who-knows-where, Ragweed ends up in the rundown part of Amperville, where the local mice (all named after car parts) are being terrorized by Felines Enraged About Rodents (F.E.A.R.), a two-cat extermination squad led by evil-tempered Silversides. After several brushes with death, Ragweed defiantly teams up with Clutch, green-furred lead guitarist for the B-Flat Tires, to open a dance club for mice only, then in the climax organizes a devastating counterattack that sends F.E.A.R. scurrying out of town. In the end, though, Ragweed opts for the country life (little knowing that it’s going to be sweet but short).
A colorful cast in which even the ferocious Silversides comes in for a dash or two of sympathy, plus a plot replete with, of course, narrow squeaks will keep readers turning the pages, while Floca’s scenes of tiny mice fleeing looming, toothy predators add more than a touch of drama .(Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-380-97690-0
Page Count: 178
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1999
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