A fun, illuminating tale with a wonderfully zippy cast.
During a trip to Egypt, two American siblings learn about an unfamiliar culture and stumble upon mummies in Pangburn and Shearer’s middle-grade graphic novel.
Eleven-year-old Nan and her little brother, Otto, are joining their travel-blogging mother on her latest voyage, whether they like it or not. Otto certainly doesn’t, as the last-minute trip forces him to leave his beloved art camp early. But Nan, an aspiring travel blogger herself, is excited to witness Egypt’s beauty and learn its history. The kids explore on their own, although Nan finds it hard to enjoy the experience when her brother runs off without her. As it happens, Otto is chasing after Princess Tiaa, a mummified cat who sprints outside her pyramid, and away from the cat’s human mummy owner. It turns out that only Otto can see the mummies, who are invisible to Nan; however, he needs Nan’s help sneaking back into the pyramid at night with the cat, where they deal with unexpected turns of events. Authors Pangburn and Shearer, who are siblings, present this story from dual perspectives; readers of the print copy must flip the book over for the second half. Otto opens the narrative, and he’s a mostly endearing boy—even when he’s whining—who craves adventure but shirks responsibility. The mummy-free, Nan-centric half, while less exhilarating, enriches the character of the dependable sister, as readers learn why a bracelet is so important to her and witness moments when she understandably tunes out her grumbling brother. There’s relatively little overlap between the two stories, as the siblings are separated for a time. However, humor abounds, as when Otto converses with a seemingly empty sarcophagus in Nan’s story, and there are copious educational tidbits on ancient and contemporary Egyptians. Touris’ cartoon-style art bursts with color during Egypt’s amber-tinted days and blue-gray nights. Illustration highlights include pages of Otto’s own ongoing comic-book project featuring Cat Knight and Dogwoman, and Nan’s journal of photos and sketches.
A fun, illuminating tale with a wonderfully zippy cast.Pub Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781545809280
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Papercutz
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
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