by Eva Dietrich , illustrated by Ingrid Kallick ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 19, 2018
Vibrant characters and prose energize this literary adventure.
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A 12-year-old boy tries to save a world made of words in this middle-grade fantasy novel.
British-Iraqi Ankido Gulzar is saddened by the news his archaeologist father has disappeared in Iraq. Unfortunately, Habubti, Ankido’s beloved grandmother, is leaving him behind as she searches for his father. An acclaimed fantasy novelist, Habubti asks her grandson to care for her latest, unfinished book, cryptically specifying to keep it out of the hands of Aunt Geraldine. In Habubti’s absence, Geraldine makes a grab for the Gulzar estate by sending Ankido, the heir, to a boarding school. On the way, the boy loses consciousness, awakens, and soon finds himself in a “crossroads between worlds.” He meets Zinaida, a wanderer, who tells Ankido that “the Land of Mesopo”—the title of Habubti’s book—is dying. Mesopo is made of words and a thief, Humbaba, is gradually stealing all of them. Evidently, the Book (Habubti’s) has chosen Ankido as the new Tale Smith; indeed, the boy lately has been dreaming of entirely new words. With an ability to create worlds with invented words, Ankido may be able to rescue Mesopo, as its many books are “the pillars of mankind’s literacy.” Ankido is a well-rounded protagonist, wielding words as a weapon but also struggling to overcome sporadic fits of anger. Dynamic characters fill the pages, from creepy, fishlike River People (Humbaba’s bondsmen) to Geraldine’s winsome stepdaughters, Leila and Salma, who find their own way to Mesopo to help their cousin Ankido. Dietrich (The Great Rainbow Hug, 2011) masterfully visualizes the fantastic world: Recurring blots or pools of black ink signify Mesopo’s slowly diminishing word count. Kallick’s (Sophie’s Quest, 2018) complementary artwork is colorful and detailed, though, disappointingly, there are only two of her dual-page illustrations. The engaging tale is a quick read for young readers and adults. And while it seems the author is priming it for a series, this book can act as a stand-alone.
Vibrant characters and prose energize this literary adventure.Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-73151-821-7
Page Count: 333
Publisher: Sable Tyger Books
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Nora Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 13, 1995
Thoroughbreds and Virginia blue-bloods cavort, commit murder, and fall in love in Roberts's (Hidden Riches, 1994, etc.) latest romantic thriller — this one set in the world of championship horse racing. Rich, sheltered Kelsey Byden is recovering from a recent divorce when she receives a letter from her mother, Naomi, a woman she has believed dead for over 20 years. When Kelsey confronts her genteel English professor father, though, he sheepishly confesses that, no, her mother isn't dead; throughout Kelsey's childhood, she was doing time for the murder of her lover. Kelsey meets with Naomi and not only finds her quite charming, but the owner of Three Willows, one of the most splendid horse farms in Virginia. Kelsey is further intrigued when she meets Gabe Slater, a blue-eyed gambling man who owns a neighboring horse farm; when one of Gabe's horses is mated with Naomi's, nostrils flare, flanks quiver, and the romance is on. Since both Naomi and Gabe have horses entered in the Kentucky Derby, Kelsey is soon swept into the whirlwind of the Triple Crown, in spite of her family's objections to her reconciliation with the notorious Naomi. The rivalry between the two horse farms remains friendly, but other competitors — one of them is Gabe's father, a vicious alcoholic who resents his son's success — prove less scrupulous. Bodies, horse and human, start piling up, just as Kelsey decides to investigate the murky details of her mother's crime. Is it possible she was framed? The ground is thick with no-goods, including haughty patricians, disgruntled grooms, and jockeys with tragic pasts, but despite all the distractions, the identity of the true culprit behind the mayhem — past and present — remains fairly obvious. The plot lopes rather than races to the finish. Gambling metaphors abound, and sexual doings have a distinctly equine tone. But Roberts's style has a fresh, contemporary snap that gets the story past its own worst excesses.
Pub Date: June 13, 1995
ISBN: 0-399-14059-X
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1995
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by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2008
Dated sermonizing on career versus motherhood, and conflict driven by characters’ willed helplessness, sap this tale of...
Lifelong, conflicted friendship of two women is the premise of Hannah’s maudlin latest (Magic Hour, 2006, etc.), again set in Washington State.
Tallulah “Tully” Hart, father unknown, is the daughter of a hippie, Cloud, who makes only intermittent appearances in her life. Tully takes refuge with the family of her “best friend forever,” Kate Mularkey, who compares herself unfavorably with Tully, in regards to looks and charisma. In college, “TullyandKate” pledge the same sorority and major in communications. Tully has a life goal for them both: They will become network TV anchorwomen. Tully lands an internship at KCPO-TV in Seattle and finagles a producing job for Kate. Kate no longer wishes to follow Tully into broadcasting and is more drawn to fiction writing, but she hesitates to tell her overbearing friend. Meanwhile a love triangle blooms at KCPO: Hard-bitten, irresistibly handsome, former war correspondent Johnny is clearly smitten with Tully. Expecting rejection, Kate keeps her infatuation with Johnny secret. When Tully lands a reporting job with a Today-like show, her career shifts into hyperdrive. Johnny and Kate had started an affair once Tully moved to Manhattan, and when Kate gets pregnant with daughter Marah, they marry. Kate is content as a stay-at-home mom, but frets about being Johnny’s second choice and about her unrealized writing ambitions. Tully becomes Seattle’s answer to Oprah. She hires Johnny, which spells riches for him and Kate. But Kate’s buttons are fully depressed by pitched battles over slutwear and curfews with teenaged Marah, who idolizes her godmother Tully. In an improbable twist, Tully invites Kate and Marah to resolve their differences on her show, only to blindside Kate by accusing her, on live TV, of overprotecting Marah. The BFFs are sundered. Tully’s latest attempt to salvage Cloud fails: The incorrigible, now geriatric hippie absconds once more. Just as Kate develops a spine, she’s given some devastating news. Will the friends reconcile before it’s too late?
Dated sermonizing on career versus motherhood, and conflict driven by characters’ willed helplessness, sap this tale of poignancy.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-312-36408-3
Page Count: 496
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2007
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