An abused dog with attitude problems finds a home in this middle-grade novel.
Webster, aka “Beast,” a black Lab mix, has led a lonely and tumultuous life. After three unsuccessful adoptions, he winds up at the Green Meadows Rescue Group. Unwilling to trust anyone, Webster hunkers down in his kennel and plans his escape. White’s too-cool-for-school third-person narrative voice captures Webster’s lonely-but-tough-guy attitude, although its predominance occasionally wears. The friendliness of the shelter cats and dogs throws a wrench in Webster’s plan to be a Bad Hat—a loner and ne’er-do-well—but he keeps up (with difficulty) his defenses, and when the opportunity arises, he escapes—although with misgivings. His adventures are not what he planned, however. Instead of wreaking havoc in high, Bad Hat style, Webster finds himself rescuing a drowning man, saving a toddler from getting run over, and shepherding six abandoned kittens to the safety of the shelter. Eventually, Webster learns to trust again as he realizes that the shelter is filled with friends who care about him. While it’s a familiar-enough theme, the storyline is enhanced by White’s quirky details (the cats and dogs at the shelter steal out of their kennels at night and watch Downton Abbey together on PBS), and there is some truly funny dialogue between the animals.
An empathetic story told in a fun, lighthearted way. (Fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2201-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION
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Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new...
14
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How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage.
Living in a "domain" of glass, metal and cement at the Big Top Mall, Ivan sometimes forgets whether to act like a gorilla or a human—except Ivan does not think much of humans. He describes their behavior as frantic, whereas he is a peaceful artist. Fittingly, Ivan narrates his tale in short, image-rich sentences and acute, sometimes humorous, observations that are all the more heartbreaking for their simple delivery. His sorrow is palpable, but he stoically endures the cruelty of humans until Ruby the baby elephant is abused. In a pivotal scene, Ivan finally admits his domain is a cage, and rather than let Ruby live and die in grim circumstances, he promises to save her. In order to express his plea in a painting, Ivan must bravely face buried memories of the lush jungle, his family and their brutal murder, which is recounted in a brief, powerful chapter sure to arouse readers’ passions. In a compelling ending, the more challenging question Applegate poses is whether or not Ivan will remember what it was like to be a gorilla. Spot art captures poignant moments throughout.
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-199225-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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