bookshelf

THE SQUIRTING DONUTS

Name: THE SQUIRTING DONUTS
Author: David A. Adler
ISBN: 978-1-4022-8728-2

From the Danny's Doodles series , Vol. 2

by David A. Adler ; illustrated by David A. Adler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 2, 2014

Not up to the standards set by Adler’s Cam Jansen but an enjoyable light read.

bookshelf

What could have turned mean Mrs. Cakel nice?

Ten-year-old Danny’s fourth-grade teacher has rules about everything, and her favorite word is “No.” No mumbling. No slouching. No passing notes. No eating in class. Danny’s unconventional friend, Calvin Waffle, is always getting into trouble. Then Mrs. Cakel suddenly turns nice. The boys decide to investigate (Calvin says his father’s a spy, so he knows “lots of spy tricks”). When they find their teacher’s house, they discover “lost dog” posters all over the neighborhood, and when they call the number on the posters, Mrs. Cakel answers. The friends decide to find the dog, get the reward and return Mrs. Cakel to normal. Meanwhile, Calvin’s scattered mother gets a new job, and Danny’s father loses his. With all these changes, will the boys still make the right choices? Though it starts with a head-scratcher—why would the boys and their friends want the mean Mrs. Cakel back?—Adler’s second tale of doodle-loving Danny features real kid characters with real kid perspectives on the adult world. Danny’s actual doodles feel a bit of an afterthought or a gimmicky grab at the younger fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but this quirky tale of genuine friendship is still worth a look.

Not up to the standards set by Adler’s Cam Jansen but an enjoyable light read. (Mystery. 7-9)

Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-4022-8728-2

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF GRAVITY
by David A. Adler ; illustrated by Anna Raff

- BOOK REVIEW
THE METRIC SYSTEM
by David A. Adler ; illustrated by Edward Miller

- BOOK REVIEW
A PARADE FOR GEORGE WASHINGTON
by David A. Adler ; illustrated by John O’Brien

bookshelf

THE SPIRIT OF THE SEA

by Rebecca Hainnu ; illustrated by Hwei Lim ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2015

A fresh, if not quite as seamless, alternative to Robert D. and Daniel San Souci’s Song of Sedna (1981).

bookshelf

A popular Inuit cautionary legend, featuring a haughty young woman and a gruesome climactic twist.

Arnaq will accept no suitor, until a shaman sea bird disguised as a handsome young man sweeps her away with glittering promises to a wretched, reeking tent on a distant shore. When her father arrives to rescue her, the shaman raises such a storm that her terrified dad casts her overboard—and cuts off her fingers to keep her from holding on to the boat. Those fingers are transformed into whales and seals, and she, into a testy spirit named Nuliajuq, who calls up storms on all who “disrespect the land or the sea.” This and other modern-sounding lines (“Eventually Arnaq succumbed to complete depression”) give the otherwise formal narrative a playfully anachronistic air that may or may not be intentional. Lim illustrates the tale in a realistic rather than stylized way, using flowing lines and brush strokes to depict natural settings, faces, Arnaq’s lustrous locks (and, though seen only from a distance, fingerless hands), and a range of accurately detailed arctic and sea animals. In an afterword, the author explains that the sea spirit goes by several regional names; a pronunciation guide to Inuktitut words in this version is also included.

A fresh, if not quite as seamless, alternative to Robert D. and Daniel San Souci’s Song of Sedna (1981). (Picture book/folk tale. 7-9)

Pub Date: March 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-927095-75-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Inhabit Media

Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
A WALK ON THE SHORELINE
by Rebecca Hainnu ; illustrated by Qin Leng

bookshelf

THE MIDDLE SHEEP

From the Ernie & Maud series , Vol. 2

by Frances Watts & illustrated by Judy Watson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2010

bookshelf

Oh, the curse of being the only child—not adorable like the baby and not smart like the older sibling! Invisible, that’s how Marvelous Maud, sheep sidekick to only-child, newly selected superhero Extraordinary Ernie, feels. Maud decides to adopt a sidekick of her own. Turns out being a sidekick is no job for a middle kitten, bunny, tortoise, horse, goldfish, duckling or mouse, so Maud decides to hold a contest. Along the way, she enjoys hearing the travails of all the middle critters, but she does not notice when Ernie feels left out of the discussion. When the Baxter Branch of the Superheroes Society meets, Ernie’s ennui becomes obvious. Valiant Vera (the bravest and fastest superhero) throws down the gauntlet and bans the argumentative aces until they can work together. Decorated with frequent humorous black-and-white illustrations of winsome animals and adults in leotards, this offering is just right for readers ready for the challenge of a chapter book. Sibling conflict, animals and superheroes are all high on the interest level of young readers, making this a series to watch. (Fiction. 7-9)