Entertaining for fans of cats, adventures, and wordplay.
Following 2019’s The Fast and the Furriest, top cat burglar Ophelia von Hairball V vies against her cheating cousin, Pierre, to keep her spot at the top of the Furry Feline Burglary Institute.
Ophelia likes to complete her missions using classic methods, but sometimes she has to accept help from her fish/inventor underling, Oscar F. Gold. The first three chapters show Ophelia stealing a secret cake recipe from a castle in order to make the best birthday cake ever for her boss. After Director MEW’s birthday, a competition is announced: The top spot will go to the cat who steals the most valuable treasure—and teamwork is required. Oscar is delighted to be fully included at last. Ophelia adjusts to working with a partner, confuses and defeats her canine foes, faces her fear of water, exposes her cousin’s shenanigans, and, after a close call, wins the competition to keep her top spot. The story feels unwieldy at times with its many plot threads, but Kent manages to tie everything together by the end. Half-page cartoonlike illustrations with speech bubbles break up the text, and full-page panels of comic strips are integral to the story. Ophelia, a strong, smart female character, here provides readers with another fun contribution to chapter-book series shelves.
Entertaining for fans of cats, adventures, and wordplay. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-14349-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
A multicultural title with obvious appeal for animal-loving middle graders.
When a Bengali boy finds and saves a tiger cub from a man who wants to sell her on the black market, he realizes that the schoolwork he resents could lead to a career protecting his beloved Sunderbans island home.
When the not-yet-weaned cub escapes from a nearby reserve, Neel and many of his neighbors join the search. But some are in the pay of greedy Gupta, a shady entrepreneur who’s recently settled in their community. Even Neel’s father is tempted by Gupta’s money, although he knows that Gupta doesn’t plan to take the cub back to the refuge. Neel and his sister use the boy’s extensive knowledge of the island’s swampy interior to find the cub’s hiding place and lure it out so it can be returned to its mother. The Kolkota-born author visited the remote Sunderbans in the course of her research. She lovingly depicts this beautiful tropical forest in the context of Neel’s efforts to find the cub and his reluctance to leave his familiar world. While the conflicts resolve a bit too easily, the sense of place is strong and the tiger cub’s rescue very satisfying. Pastel illustrations will help readers envision the story.
A multicultural title with obvious appeal for animal-loving middle graders. (author's note, organizations, glossary) (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-58089-660-3
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
Entertaining fairy-tale fun.
Nine-year-old Lana is bored; her 12-year-old brother, Harrison, once a constant playmate, is busy studying.
The best Lana’s mother can come up with is visiting Grimm’s, the new supermarket in their quiet English village. Inside, they encounter amazing deals and one curious employee—a short, beady-eyed old man. He tries to stop Lana from taking home a book of “proper fairy tales,” which he insists are too frightening. Lana’s mother buys it anyway, and at bedtime, she starts reading Lana “Sleeping Beauty.” The next morning, the book is missing. Lana, desperate to read more, returns to Grimm’s. The odd little man shoves her into a tub of sweets, and she falls down a chute into the world of fairy tales. Lana hops through portals into different stories, where she helps the protagonists. Eventually, Harrison joins her, and fortunately, his studious ways come in handy. Given the endless appetite for fairy-tale adventures, fans of series such as Tae Keller’s Mihi Ever After will enjoy this tale. Readers who delight in shivery scares will appreciate the pushback against sanitized literature for kids. The framing of the original, bloodthirsty versions includes subtle and valuable mentions of power imbalances and consent (as the prince says, in response to the suggestion of waking Briar Rose with a kiss, “No, I don’t think that’s right. Not without asking first. And I can’t ask because she’s asleep…”). Charming illustrations support the text. Characters are minimally described and racially ambiguous.
Entertaining fairy-tale fun. (Fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9781665949736
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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