Holiday hijinks worthy of a standing ovation.
All of Gumbling is a stage as a holiday play challenges Nell and her friends.
In this charming third series entry, Nell and her friends are preparing for the Christmas-like holiday of Feszht by putting on a classic holiday musical, The Land of Toysensweetz (which is reminiscent of The Nutcracker). When Nell, who appears white, learns that she must co-direct the play with her archivist boss Birdneck’s grandson, Sam, she isn’t pleased—confident, exuberant Sam comes across as bossy and talks over her. Slowly, everything descends into chaos: The actors require a lot of attention, Nell’s busy BFF is in the play but not fully present, the chorus members feel underappreciated, and two ghosts haunt the theater. When the kids learn that their Feszht production will be broadcast live on TV, the stakes grow even higher. Naturally quiet Nell feels eclipsed by extroverted Sam, but as their dramatic tension grows, something romantic seems to be bubbling beneath the surface. Steinkellner’s latest installment is a gem, full of cozy whimsy but touching on some very real and important topics, like overscheduling and the importance of listening to others. The merging of Gumbling with our world (Black-presenting Sam and his family are from Chicago) makes the work even more accessible and will leave readers wishing Gumbling were real. The supporting cast shows a delightfully diverse and inclusive range of skin tones, heights, and body sizes.
Holiday hijinks worthy of a standing ovation. (Graphic fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9780593570746
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Labyrinth Road
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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
However the compelling fitness of theme and event and the apt but unexpected imagery (the opening sentences compare the...
At a time when death has become an acceptable, even voguish subject in children's fiction, Natalie Babbitt comes through with a stylistic gem about living forever.
Protected Winnie, the ten-year-old heroine, is not immortal, but when she comes upon young Jesse Tuck drinking from a secret spring in her parents' woods, she finds herself involved with a family who, having innocently drunk the same water some 87 years earlier, haven't aged a moment since. Though the mood is delicate, there is no lack of action, with the Tucks (previously suspected of witchcraft) now pursued for kidnapping Winnie; Mae Tuck, the middle aged mother, striking and killing a stranger who is onto their secret and would sell the water; and Winnie taking Mae's place in prison so that the Tucks can get away before she is hanged from the neck until....? Though Babbitt makes the family a sad one, most of their reasons for discontent are circumstantial and there isn't a great deal of wisdom to be gleaned from their fate or Winnie's decision not to share it.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1975
ISBN: 0312369816
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1975
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