Entertaining mini-adventures that don’t add up to very much.
In this children’s fantasy adventure novel, a brother and sister pass through a mysterious gateway and explore other worlds.
Sometimes, 10-year-old twins Callon and Morwen Taylor of the fictional Canadian town of Hammersmith experience what they call “the power”: Whenever their golden retriever, Peaches, is standing between them and their hands are touching, they feel a warm, glowing energy flowing between and around them. During a family hike in a woodland conservation area, the twins and their pet discover an archway, covered by a shimmering gold curtain. After Peaches bounds through it and disappears, Morwen and Callon follow, soon finding themselves in a beautiful meadow where Peaches can now communicate with them telepathically. Their ensuing explorations in this new world turn dangerous, however, when they encounter a “lake monster.” Only by using the power can they return through the portal—and they find that, in their own world, no time has elapsed. As the twins repeatedly revisit the portal, they keep discovering different worlds with different dangers; before long, they invite their best friends, Lily and Zeke, to join the fun. After one especially perilous escapade, they’re rescued by a mysterious figure—at the cost of a favor to be repaid later. In his debut book, Haslam employs a classic theme in fantasy literature: the magical doorway. The settings, nemeses, and predicaments are well-varied, but the overall structure of the narrative—explore, chase and/or capture, escape—quickly becomes very predictable, and the story spends no time on significant character development. The adventures offer a lot of lively action and are often funny. However, the real-world narration can be dry: “The hikes were both fun and educational.” Animal lovers may also be upset by several episodes in which Peaches is attacked and injured.
Entertaining mini-adventures that don’t add up to very much.Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-03-910544-7
Page Count: 162
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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