Hilarious comic mayhem rounded out by affection and insight.
Five friends create an elaborate plan to prevent private school from separating them in this debut middle-grade novel.
In the summer after fourth grade, the Dudes—Tyler Reynolds, twins Ryan and Connor Maguire, Nate Howe, and Deven Singh—have big plans to continue their mission of doing “stuff that’s great and memorable.” They’re an assorted bunch: Tyler, the story’s narrator, chronicles the Dude adventures; Ryan, the leader, comes up with cool plans; and Connor throws himself into physical challenges. They’re White while Nate, the brainiac, is African American and Deven, the jokester, is Indian American. All five are obsessed with the TV show Ninja Wars, which inspires “Operation Ninja Prowl”; while the neighborhood is preoccupied with a block party, they’ll dress in black and practice stealthy outdoor maneuvers. But they get mistaken for burglars and draw police attention, which would be all good fun—except for Nate’s parents' deciding such hijinks are “not the future we want for our son,” and private school is the answer. Over the summer, while the Dudes pursue ninja-adjacent activities, they’ll need all their ingenuity to hatch schemes for keeping Nate in public school. With one priceless, laugh-out-loud scenario after another, the mother-and-son team of Johnson and Reynolds delivers a fine tale in this Dudes Adventure series opener. For example, the friends build a homemade obstacle course with tests like the “Rain of Blows”—where the ninja-in-training must safely jump through spinning badminton rackets (which are duct-taped to poles on a rotating wheel). At the same time, the story is given depth by emotional challenges each friend must face, described with subtlety. Tyler, for example, has a new baby brother grabbing his mom’s attention while the Maguire twins’ parents have recently divorced. Readers will likely be eager to read the next adventure.
Hilarious comic mayhem rounded out by affection and insight.Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-949212-01-3
Page Count: 203
Publisher: Epic Spiel Press
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Another zippy charmer—no Quibbles here.
The mad scientist Porch sisters finally face off against the abominable (and newly reanimated) Talon Sharktūth.
Following their escapades at the titular hotel in Secrets of the Purple Pearl (2025), sisters Dee-Dee, Eugenia, and Gertrude, who are adopted, find themselves swept up in another adventure with the Lavinias, Aunt Desdemona, and their 98-year-old Grantie Lettuce in ParisToo, which is “like Paris but smaller, and it’s in upstate New York.” Of course, the girls’ beloved mentor and teacher, Millicent Quibb, pops in and out, both warning and helping the trio. The Porches are Apocryphs, and each one has a unique power. Their sightseeing trip around ParisToo feels a bit too convenient, and as suspicious coincidences mount (along with sightings of members of the KRA, the shadowy cabal that revived Sharktūth), the girls suspect that something sinister is afoot. They eventually learn the truth of Sharktūth’s scheme, but can they stop him and the KRA before it’s too late? This third series entry satisfyingly answers many of the lingering questions of its predecessors. With all the zest and zeal of a caffeinated squirrel, this installment delivers the series’ patented quirkiness and giggle-generating plotlines, footnotes, and illustrations. Millicent Quibb wisely opines that “it takes much bravery, to be different…but really, if no one dared to do it, who would save the day?” This is an endearing tale of found family and believing in oneself, with an ending that hints at further adventures.
Another zippy charmer—no Quibbles here. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780316555814
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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