An upbeat tale infused with a “teamwork makes the dream work” message.
A determined young paleontologist-to-be wrestles with a gift that doesn’t evolve as expected.
Della Goldberg’s 11th birthday party, dinosaur-themed of course, is a flop. Not one of her classmates shows up. Her heartbreak is eased when her free-spirited paleontologist granny breezes in with a present: a prototype “Design Your Own Dinosaur” kit for Della to test out. Granny will return in time for Shabbat dinner this Friday to pick up Della’s fast-growing creation. But when Della’s fashion-forward classmate and ex-friend Avery peeks in the incubator, Della’s carefully designed creation short-circuits, resulting in a pink, glittery surprise. Crestfallen and convinced that Granny will be horrified, Della decides to hide the hatchling, dubbed Glamosaurus. It will take all of her paleontological know-how, plus help from the entire fifth grade, to keep the Glam safe, fed, and out of adult sight. Rubinstein ably balances Della’s interpersonal conflicts with the dino drama, and her trajectory from loner to thoughtful, confident friend is believable and authentic. Though Della’s parents are loving and helpful, in general the youngsters have the edge on the adults, who panic when they discover Glamosaurus. Bye’s black-and-white illustrations capture Della’s paleontologist’s trappings as well as horned, speckled Glam’s unique look. Physical descriptors are minimal, but classmate names cue diversity, and Della and her family are Jewish.
An upbeat tale infused with a “teamwork makes the dream work” message. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781250419040
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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