This humorous, ongoing extension of the frog-turned-prince saga should appeal to fans of the series who want more of the...
When Queen Willow vanishes, Princess Emeralda, aka Emma, embarks on a quest to find her and restore harmony to the fairy community in this latest addition to the Tales of the Frog Princess series.
As the Green Witch, the independent, white princess also has the “responsibility of watching out for the humans and fairies in Greater Greensward.” Even though Emma has transformed her fiance, Eadric, back from a frog into human form, his parents still oppose their marriage. Accordingly, when attractive, nasty, white Princess Adara arrives unexpectedly, claiming to be a distant relative, the interloper’s pursuit of Eadric arouses Emma’s suspicions. Before Emma can convince Adara to leave, she’s embroiled in bitter, disruptive fighting among the fairies over who will be their new ruler. Accompanied by devoted Eadric and hindered by irritating Adara, Emma travels on her magic carpet to Soggy Molvinia, wielding her magical powers on the fly and hoping to discover missing Queen Willow. Featuring comic scenes, a romantic subplot, and wacky animal, fairy, and witch characters, the fantasy falls a bit flat, feeling formulaic at this point despite its independent heroine, breezy first-person voice, fairy-tale elements, and fast pace.
This humorous, ongoing extension of the frog-turned-prince saga should appeal to fans of the series who want more of the same. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68119-137-9
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A sympathetic, compelling introduction to wolves from the perspective of one wolf and his memorable journey.
Separated from his pack, Swift, a young wolf, embarks on a perilous search for a new home.
Swift’s mother impresses on him early that his “pack belongs to the mountains and the mountains belong to the pack.” His father teaches him to hunt elk, avoid skunks and porcupines, revere the life that gives them life, and “carry on” when their pack is devastated in an attack by enemy wolves. Alone and grieving, Swift reluctantly leaves his mountain home. Crossing into unfamiliar territory, he’s injured and nearly dies, but the need to run, hunt, and live drives him on. Following a routine of “walk-trot-eat-rest,” Swift traverses prairies, canyons, and deserts, encountering men with rifles, hunger, thirst, highways, wild horses, a cougar, and a forest fire. Never imagining the “world could be so big or that I could be so alone in it,” Swift renames himself Wander as he reaches new mountains and finds a new home. Rife with details of the myriad scents, sounds, tastes, touches, and sights in Swift/Wander’s primal existence, the immediacy of his intimate, first-person, present-tense narration proves deeply moving, especially his longing for companionship. Realistic black-and-white illustrations trace key events in this unique survival story, and extensive backmatter fills in further factual information about wolves and their habitat.
A sympathetic, compelling introduction to wolves from the perspective of one wolf and his memorable journey. (additional resources, map) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-289593-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
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