An engaging paranormal romp with a quirky and witty young hero.
In this middle-grade supernatural novel, a tween vows to pull the plug on a ghostly thief’s crime spree in her North Carolina town.
Eleven-year-old Dotty Morgan is a self-proclaimed “supernatural sleuth.” Two years ago, she spotted but failed to catch a gnome stealing fabric from her mom’s sewing room. Now, Dotty investigates any crime with a hint of the supernatural. And when she determines there’s no tangible explanation for why french fries vanished from her oven at home, she’s on the hunt for a spectral larcenist. Sure enough, potato products disappear from stores and restaurants all over town. Dotty has her alarm clock–turned-Arcanometer to detect phantoms, along with helpful pals—her fashion-savvy best friend, Parker Pose, and the new girl at school, wrestler Hannah Matson. Well-read Dotty puts together some spells to draw in and banish the phantom so that she can once again savor her cherished french fries. But she may be after a human suspect as well—a nefarious, formidable individual who summoned this ghostly burglar in the first place. Martin’s adolescent protagonist is endearingly odd. She dons a baseball cap lined with tinfoil (protection from mind control) and webcasts her detective exploits (“I’m staking out Mr. Tanner’s yard, investigating reoccurring instances of mysterious vandalism”). Dotty often finds herself immersed in absorbing, more realistic subplots, from school bullies to her mom’s new health kick subjecting her to such atrocities as sugar-, gluten-, and dairy-free pancakes that taste like Styrofoam. A supernatural element slowly creeps into the swiftly paced, enjoyable narrative, which includes a gratifying final-act payoff and an understated romance between Dotty and Hannah. Sadly, there’s not much sleuthing. Dotty relies on her Arcanometer to track down the apparition and doesn’t gather many clues, designating suspects based on a general wariness. Still, as this book launches a series, there should be copious future opportunities for her to shine.
An engaging paranormal romp with a quirky and witty young hero.Pub Date: March 17, 2023
ISBN: 9780998118260
Page Count: 232
Publisher: In A Bind Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
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