An ingenious and entirely credible (at least dog lovers will agree with this) twist on the familiar tale.
A tardy corrective for previous versions of the legend of the Sword in the Stone—which leave out the dog.
Rescued stray Nosewise makes the thrilling discovery that the magic Asteria stone of Morgana, preteen apprentice to human packmate Merlin, allows him to talk and maybe even perform tricks well beyond “sit” and “shake.” It comes none too soon, as wizard and apprentice are kidnapped by Oberon, Fae prince of the Summer court, to steal Excalibur. Collecting a castle “poop boy” named Arthur along the way and with help from Guinevere, daughter of a tavern keeper named Leodegrance, Nosewise loyally sets out to rescue his beloved family. The quest leads from this world to the Otherworld and thence to frozen Avalon for a desperate battle with Oberon, human minions, and insatiable magic-eating worms. But Excalibur, it turns out, can only be extracted by “a worthy soul who loves man and would never do him harm.” There is, as you might guess, but one such who truly fits that description here. Along with his other canine virtues, though, Nosewise is generous in the aftermath: “Arthur is my carrier, and he can use it too, if he wants.” The often scary Fae come in a variety of sizes and shapes; humans, and the doggy narrator, are largely white in Phillips’ occasional vignettes, though Morgana appears to have somewhat darker skin.
An ingenious and entirely credible (at least dog lovers will agree with this) twist on the familiar tale. (Fantasy. 10-13)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-553-53736-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Clears the bar for horse fanciers.
Seventh grader Abby St. Clair manages friend drama and competition at school and on her riding team in the lead-up to a big horse show.
In this third series entry (which readers can jump into midstride), Abby sees winning the upcoming horse show at Canterwood Crest Academy in Connecticut as a big step toward her goal of becoming a career equestrian. But conflict with her teammates poses more of an obstacle than her riding skills do. Abby and her enemies on the team, Nina and Selly, had a fight at the last competition and are being closely monitored by their coach, Rebecca. On top of that, Abby’s best friends, Thea and Vivi (established in earlier entries as Korean American and Black, respectively), seem to be excluding her. Abby also initially bungles how she handles her crush on new girl Mila. At least she’s made up with her stepsister, Emery. At Canterwood, Abby meets Sasha Silver, one of her heroes, whose winter riding clinic she applied for—but Sasha reveals that someone tried to sabotage her application. Abby’s team experiences more surprises during the event, setting things up for the next entry. Parents are mostly absent from the narrative; Abby talks to her dad via FaceTime. The dialogue and social media use are realistic, the pacing is snappy, and the equestrian details are accurate. Most characters read white.
Clears the bar for horse fanciers. (Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781665912990
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
A charming series opener.
A foundling mouse sets out to uncover the mystery of her origins and of the magical needle sized for humans that was left with her.
Delphine’s travels begin with a summons to the palace, where her growing reputation as a brilliant seamstress commands an order for a ball gown for Princess Petits-Oiseaux—and also gives her a chance to discover exciting hints about a vanished order of needle-wielding magic mice known as the Threaded and of an ancient war with the rats. Meanwhile, no sooner does Midnight, cruel king of the rats, learn that the needle they have been seeking for a century has been found than said old war suddenly heats up and turns into a deadly chase. Also meanwhile, only barely noticed by the animal cast but sure to snag readers’ attention, certain events involving another seamstress, a pumpkin coach, a ball, a prince, and a glass slipper are happening above the floorboards in the parallel human world. That isn’t the only sly touch in this bibbidi bobbidi debut, which is rich in clearly delineated character types, features plenty of brisk action, and is also, overall, more than a bit reminiscent in tone and setting to Brian Jacques’ Redwall series (though with more focus on fashion than food). While this volume is mostly setup, heroes and villains alike end up on their marks, and plenty of loose ends remain to stitch up later.
A charming series opener. (Animal fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-368-04802-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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