A sweet, light fantasy for readers just cutting their literary teeth.
Ruffleclaw, an “earth monster,” is obsessed with human things—which will cause some problems.
Ruffleclaw’s tired of living under a shed and eating only bugs. He’s also tired of his earth monster neighbors, Shaggystink and Wormtooth, and their disdain for all things human. At night, Ruffleclaw picks the locks of human houses (easy with a claw) and gapes at all the wonders within. He’s especially fond of the “ice-cold box” where they keep the best food. He decides to go live with a human family, choosing a house where he’s heard the most delightful, “creepy-crawlicious” music. When Tommy wakes next to a hairy, red, four-armed, smelly monster, he tries throwing Ruffleclaw out, but the earth monster is nothing if not persistent. Tommy decides to keep Ruffleclaw as a pet—after all, he’s always wanted a dog, and the monster actually talks. When keeping the hairy beast a secret from mom falls through, the duo have to get creative convincing her to let Ruffleclaw stay…and then there’s Tommy’s dad’s allergy to anything with fur. Funke’s playful monster tale, published in Germany in 2005, is a piece with such other outings as Emma and the Blue Genie (2014). While it’s not as inventive or engaging as her longer works, those new to chapters who need a good, funny monster tale to alleviate fears or who like a small dose of gross will find it here.
A sweet, light fantasy for readers just cutting their literary teeth. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-37548-1
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair.
Fifth graders get into a hairy situation.
After an unnamed narrator’s full-page warning, readers dive right into a Wolver Hollow classroom. Mr. Noffler recounts the town legend about how, every Oct. 19, residents don fake mustaches and lock their doors. As the story goes, the late Bockius Beauregard was vaporized in an “unfortunate black powder incident,” but, somehow, his “magnificent mustache” survived to haunt the town. Once a year, the spectral ’stache searches for an exposed upper lip to rest upon. Is it real or superstition? Students Parker and Lucas—sole members of the Midnight Owl Detective Agency—decide to take the case and solve the mustache mystery. When they find that the book of legends they need for their research has been checked out from the library, they recruit the borrower: goth classmate Samantha von Oppelstein. Will the three of them be enough to take on the mustache and resolve its ghostly, unfinished business? Whether through ridiculous plot points or over-the-top descriptions, the comedy keeps coming in this first title in McGee’s new Night Frights series. A generous font and spacing make this quick-paced, 13-chapter story appealing to newly confident readers. Skaffa’s grayscale cartoon spot (and occasional full-page) illustrations help set the tone and accentuate the action. Though neither race or skin color is described in the text, images show Lucas and Samantha as light-skinned and Parker as dark-skinned.
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair. (maps) (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8089-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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