The likably despicable denizens of Illmoor are back, and once again it’s not exactly clear who to root for. The lords of Spittle, Sneeze, Dullitch and Legrash want to get rid of the bandits Groan Teethgrit and Gordo Goldeaxe, and they’re willing to make the Lord of Phlegm do the dirty work for them. In a Machiavellian plot to destroy the two bandits, the lordlings offer up Princess Susti of Phlegm’s hand in marriage to the winner of a fixed tournament. Grodo, Groan and Groan’s far more intelligent brother, Gape, enter the contest, and find themselves involved in a series of impossible quests along with an immortal demon/zombie twinling, an undead chicken and a Mafia-protection racket. Meanwhile, the princess does what she can to foul up this ridiculous game. Chaotic as usual, this latest entry in the Illmore series is a thoroughly entertaining romp. (Fantasy. 10-13)
Pub Date: June 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-7868-3795-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A winning production.
The arrival of a big-budget film crew on Martha’s Vineyard prompts a group of young residents and visitors to make a movie of their own about a gruesome local legend.
A vivid sense of place and nuanced backstories enrich a summertime adventure that begins as a lark but takes on discomfiting twists on the way to a melodramatic climax. Dragged into the project by Elijah, cineaste son of a visiting journalist, 13-year-old Gayle and reclusive, bullied Madison settle on an old tale known as the Atwood Terror, about a wealthy fishing-club owner who supposedly fed victims to sharks for the amusement of his shady associates. To their surprise they discover not only that there might be something to the legend, but that locals seem oddly unwilling to share what they know. Persistence pays off, and Elijah’s fancy camera records clues from old maps and elsewhere that lead at last to startling revelations and narrow squeaks made all the more thrilling for being set amid isolated ruins during a wild storm—although the finished movie turns out to be very different from the one the three thoughtthey were making. Meanwhile, eloquently chronicled in Marcks’ cinematic panels through silent gestures and expressions as much as speech, friendships are formed and repaired, parental relationships articulated, and inner conflicts expressed and resolved. Major characters present White; Elijah and his dad are brown-skinned.
A winning production. (map) (Graphic fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-316-46138-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Four fifth-graders are recruited by a scheming magician in this hefty bonbon from the author of the Fablehaven tales. At first, Nate, Summer, Trevor and Pigeon think they have it good. Having asked them to help her recover a hidden treasure that (she says) belongs to her, Belinda White, friendly proprietor of a sweets shop that has just opened in their small town, provides some uncommon candies—like Moon Rocks, that give them the ability to jump like grasshoppers, and literally electrifying Shock Bits. When she begins asking them to commit certain burglaries, though, their exhilaration turns to unease, and rightly so; Mrs. White is actually after a draft from the Fountain of Youth that will make her the world’s most powerful magician. And, as it turns out, she isn’t the only magician who’s come to town—not even the only one whose magic is tied to sweets. Filling out the supporting cast with the requisite trio of bullies, plus magical minions of various (and sometimes gross) abilities, Mull trots his twist-laden plot forward to a well set-up climax. Leaving the door open an inch for sequels, he dishes up a crowd-pleaser as delicious—if not so weird—as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . (Fantasy. 10-13)
Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-59038-783-2
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2007
© Copyright 2026 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.
