The screamingly popular chapter-book series about a timorous mouse who nevertheless gets drawn into adventure after adventure makes its U.S. debut in graphic form. At the beginning of this original tale, Geronimo Stilton learns that the Pirate Cats are in 1492, intent on taking over Columbus’s expedition and snatching the New World’s riches for themselves. Geronimo’s family leaps at the chance for excitement, and off they go. The series adapts well enough to graphic storytelling, although the panels are quite small, with the action squeezed into 56 full-color pages. The characters have a bland, Disneyesque look that nevertheless has undeniable child appeal. One visual glitch is that the Pirate Cats mouse disguises work so well they fool both the good guys and readers—clothing cues help but don’t go all the way. Actual history (presented in occasional interstitial faux-scroll sidebars) and such niceties as time-travel paradoxes take a back seat to action and slapstick, resulting in a good-fun package that’s sure to be as popular as the novels. This publishes simultaneously with #2, The Secret of the Sphinx (ISBN: 978-1-59707-159-8). (Graphic fiction. 6-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59707-158-1
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Papercutz
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2009
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Multiple taps transform a giggling block of wood in Geppetto’s workshop into a skinny, loose jointed puppet that suddenly...
Unusually brisk special effects animate this relatively less satiric but equally amusing adaptation of the classic tale.
Multiple taps transform a giggling block of wood in Geppetto’s workshop into a skinny, loose jointed puppet that suddenly delivers a Bronx cheer and then whirls away on a long series of misadventures. These culminate in a final change into a flesh-and-blood boy with help from a fingertip “paintbrush.” Quick and responsive touch- or tilt-activated features range from controllable marionettes, Pinocchio’s tattletale nose and Fire-Eater’s explosive sneeze to a movable candle that illuminates both Geppetto in the fish’s dark belly and the accompanying block of text. Even the thumbnail page images of the index (which opens any time with a shake of the tablet) tumble about, somehow without falling out of order. Though transitions are almost nonexistent in the episodic plot, the text is both substantial enough to have a definite presence and artfully placed in and around Conversi’s brightly colored settings and toylike figures. Text is available in English or Italian with a clear, understated optional audio narration backed by unobtrusive music. A link on the credits page leads to downloadable coloring sheets on the producer’s website.Pub Date: March 17, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Elastico srl
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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