Dewey like this? Of course, and so will upper-elementary and middle school readers and gamers alike.
Can the hometown champions defeat teams from around the country in a new contest at Mr. Lemoncello’s fantastic library?
Responding to millions of requests, the visionary library-builder organizes a new competition, a “duodecimalthon” of 12 library-related games. The action in this engaging sequel begins slowly with a stage-setting introduction of the characters and the incredible library in Alexandria, Ohio, for readers who didn't devour Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (2013). But once the contestants have gathered and the Olympics-styled games begin, puns, puzzles, and book references come thick and fast. Suspense builds: Mr. Lemoncello's dream is in danger, and Kyle Keeley and his eighth-grade teammates have formidable rivals. This celebration of libraries, librarians, books, and the right to read doesn't quite have the exuberance of the first, perhaps because it is so carefully constructed to make the author's point. But it has characters with encyclopedic knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System and popular children’s books, and it has Mr. Lemoncello’s lavish costumes, inventive games, and beyond state-of-the-art technology. The plot twists and turns before the appropriately satisfying end. Grabenstein obligingly provides a long list of good books to read (mentioned in the text) and challenges readers to find the sources of the quotations from banned books embedded in the narrative.
Dewey like this? Of course, and so will upper-elementary and middle school readers and gamers alike. (Fiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-553-51040-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An original, clever, page-turning adventure.
During the Blitz, 12-year-old Londoner Kat, along with two younger siblings and an American boy, is sent to a distant relative’s Scottish castle, where they confront evils both old and contemporary.
Though Lady Eleanor claims to be starting an academy in her castle and has hired faculty to attend to the curriculum, it’s soon clear that none are what they claim to be. The old castle keep is burned out, and the newer part seems to have weird twists and turns, secret doors and strange goings-on, including several ghostly children. Clues multiply early on that Eleanor is the same woman for whom the creepy, unnamed village magister has replaced living parts one by one over decades, each given in payment for a charm for a child’s soul. Kat’s father—now away working for MI6—is a watchmaker, and Kat has his gift for numbers, gears, and puzzles. Witchy magic, Nazi menace, and clockwork all come into play, along with an Enigma machine and spies for both the Allies and the Nazis seeking occult sources of power or protection. After the breathtaking climax, various threads of the story are tied up in a drawing-room denouement in which the characters decide to dispose of toxic magical artifacts rather carelessly—though in a way that invites anticipation (and fortuitously leaves room for sequels).
An original, clever, page-turning adventure. (Historical fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: March 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-451-47633-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls.
Three young ghost trappers take on deadly wraiths and solve an old murder case in the bargain to kick off Stroud’s new post-Bartimaeus series.
Narrator Lucy Carlyle hopes to put her unusual sensitivity to supernatural sounds to good use by joining Lockwood & Co.—one of several firms that have risen to cope with the serious ghost Problem that has afflicted England in recent years. As its third member, she teams with glib, ambitious Anthony Lockwood and slovenly-but-capable scholar George Cubbins to entrap malign spirits for hire. The work is fraught with peril, not only because a ghost’s merest touch is generally fatal, but also, as it turns out, as none of the three is particularly good at careful planning and preparation. All are, however, resourceful and quick on their feet, which stands them in good stead when they inadvertently set fire to a house while discovering a murder victim’s desiccated corpse. It comes in handy again when they later rashly agree to clear Combe Carey Hall, renowned for centuries of sudden deaths and regarded as one of England’s most haunted manors. Despite being well-stocked with scream-worthy ghastlies, this lively opener makes a light alternative for readers who find the likes of Joseph Delaney’s Last Apprentice series too grim and creepy for comfort.
A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls. (Ghost adventure. 11-13)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4231-6491-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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