A tale about a perilous rescue operation that delivers a sweet, all-ages romp, leaving room for further escapades.
In this debut middle-grade fantasy, a teen prince and his beautiful young companion sneak off on an adventure to save a nearby village.
Thirteen-year-old Bennett is the son of Matthew Kladivo II, king of peaceful Ziemia. Bennett grows up safe and wealthy, but he longs for exploits like those enjoyed by the knights who visit the castle. One day, the knights mention that the people of the Southern Mountains struggle against invaders from the neighboring kingdom of Lomar. The largest village under siege, Cortus, owns an enchanted cylinder of stone called the Zoldox. The Zoldox possesses the power to keep away a savage troglodyte race called the Edu. When Bennett travels with his uncle and Ziemia’s soldiers to Cortus, they learn that the Zoldox has been stolen. Bennett also spies a lovely girl his age named Melissa, whose family has requested protection from the army. Eventually, Bennett gets to know Melissa, who reveals that her two younger cousins have vanished. The prince tells her: “If the Edu captured your cousins, they are probably already dead and eaten, but there is also a good chance that bandits captured [them].” As Melissa vows to take action, Bennett summons the courage to accompany her wherever the mission leads. Kucera builds a charming tale that should entice middle-grade and classical fantasy readers alike. He offers colorful descriptions (the Edu have “thick, tough, gray, almost bluish skin, which was sparsely covered with thick, dark gray bristles”) accompanied by spot-on illustrations by Cerv. In entertaining passages, the author creates fantasy situations that utilize genuine biology. When the kids sneak into the Edu caverns, they crush ladybugs on their bodies because “they would hide the scent of Bennett and Melissa and, at the same time, give off a natural smell the Edu would be familiar with.” Though the narrative is short, it includes the excellent lesson that “a clever mind can defeat more enemies than a sharp sword.” Kucera’s ending places his characters in an intriguing quandary.
A tale about a perilous rescue operation that delivers a sweet, all-ages romp, leaving room for further escapades.Pub Date: July 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5246-1835-3
Page Count: 146
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read...
When a lock-in becomes a reality game, 12-year-old Kyle Keeley and his friends use library resources to find their way out of Alexandriaville’s new public library.
The author of numerous mysteries for children and adults turns his hand to a puzzle adventure with great success. Starting with the premise that billionaire game-maker Luigi Lemoncello has donated a fortune to building a library in a town that went without for 12 years, Grabenstein cleverly uses the tools of board and video games—hints and tricks and escape hatches—to enhance this intricate and suspenseful story. Twelve 12-year-old winners of an essay contest get to be the first to see the new facility and, as a bonus, to play his new escape game. Lemoncello’s gratitude to the library of his childhood extends to providing a helpful holographic image of his 1968 librarian, but his modern version also includes changing video screens, touch-screen computers in the reading desks and an Electronic Learning Center as well as floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stretching up three stories. Although the characters, from gamer Kyle to schemer Charles Chiltington, are lightly developed, the benefits of pooling strengths to work together are clear.
Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read is a winner for readers and game-players alike. (Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-87089-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
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Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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