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
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
A spectacular return to a magical world.
Following the events of Impossible Creatures (2024), a devoted Guardian teams up with a brave princess to fight her power-hungry uncle and save the Archipelago’s dragons from a strange new threat.
Jacques the dragon summons Christopher Forrester back to the Archipelago from the human world: Dragons are dying, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, on the island of Dousha, Princess Anya’s grandfather, King Halam, has been murdered, and her father accused—though she knows he’s innocent. When Christopher and Anya take refuge on the islet of Glimt, the Berserker Nighthand helps them see how their twin missions to save the dragons and free Anya’s father are connected. They work together to create an antidote for the poison that’s killing the dragons and to keep Anya and her father safe from her murderous uncle. Meanwhile, Nighthand and Irian, the part-nereid ocean scholar, pursue their own important secret mission. Divided into three parts—“Castle,” “Dragons,” and “Revenge”—and containing elements of fairy tales, fantasy, and Shakespeare, this story continues the storyline established in the series opener, yet because it introduces new characters and obstacles, it could also stand alone. Dark-blond Anya (“five feet tall and all of it claws”) is a match for white-presenting Christopher, who, though he still misses Mal, finds that “it made a difference to have someone to move through the world with again. A friend changed the feel of the universe.” Mackenzie’s delicate, otherworldly art adorns the text.
A spectacular return to a magical world. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-15)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780593809907
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
PROFILES
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
