She’s the pussycat love child of James Bond and Zsa Zsa Gabor, and who can’t love that? (Fantasy. 7-11)
The name’s Ophelia, Ophelia von Hairball V, watch your sparkly valuables, darling.
Fluffy, white cat Ophelia von Hairball of Burglaria is the world’s greatest cat burglar—and the No. 1 agent of the Furry Feline Burglary Institute. She can purr-loin an emerald tiara from the whirl of a fancy-dress party while looking fur-lawless. This pussycat works alone in flagrant defiance of direct orders from FFBI Director MEW that she take on and actually keep an inventor partner, per protocol. (She’s just returned her 16th.) Her 17th inventor, Oscar Fishgerald Gold, a genius goldfish with special mobile breathing apparatus, appears on Ophelia’s doorstep just in time to uncover a plot hatched by her archnemesis—and unibrowed cousin—Pierre to keep Ophelia from competing in the Fifth Annual Purr-fect Heist Competition (which she always wins). Can Ophelia best her creepy cousin while avoiding Central Canine Intelligence Agency operatives? And what’s she to do about this persistent fishy friend? Kent’s series kickoff is a silly riot. Classy bad girl Ophelia is as funny as she is furry (though she’s not too bad: FFBI agents rarely keep the sparkly they swipe…it’s the thrill of the heist!). Hooson’s cartoon illustrations and many in-line comic-strip pages are just the ticket to keep pages turning and prompt calls for sequels.
She’s the pussycat love child of James Bond and Zsa Zsa Gabor, and who can’t love that? (Fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-14343-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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