A poetic, beautifully written exploration of finding inner strength.
A grieving girl learns to find her courage from a fire spirit in this children’s novel.
For 11-year-old Clarissa Gentle, there’s no better place to sit than beneath the oak tree in the garden. Oak also likes Clarissa’s company. She can hear him, although no one else can, and she enjoys Oak’s stories about legendary creatures in the surrounding Fens of England. He’s been her friend for the nearly three years since her mother died, her baby brother was born, and her father became distant. One evening, Oak tells Clarissa to dig beneath his roots, where she finds an old key. She discovers that it unlocks an old iron box from the museum where her father works. Opening it, she releases Fire, a spirit who is grateful that he’s free again to connect with fire around the world. Meanwhile, an archaeological artifact, a potion bottle with a flame painted on it, has been stolen by a man who wants to trap a fire spirit. Clarissa has trouble making her voice heard, but she must to prevent disaster—as the spirit says, “Speak your truth and flame bright.” In her latest children’s book, Spudich employs folklore and myth for a coming-of-age story that’s lyrical, exciting, and psychologically insightful about gaining wholeness. Clarissa’s quiet, intuitive nature becomes powerful when she gets in touch with the restlessly wild fire spirit, who gleefully proclaims “I stretch, and a volcano erupts in Hawaii. I crackle, and trees burn!” Fire, too, learns from Clarissa, acknowledging that her courage inspires his own. The story also balances understated portrayals of emotional states with a tense, gripping scene that requires Clarissa to confront a villain intent on enslaving Fire.
A poetic, beautifully written exploration of finding inner strength.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64703-037-7
Page Count: 148
Publisher: Handersen Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair.
Fifth graders get into a hairy situation.
After an unnamed narrator’s full-page warning, readers dive right into a Wolver Hollow classroom. Mr. Noffler recounts the town legend about how, every Oct. 19, residents don fake mustaches and lock their doors. As the story goes, the late Bockius Beauregard was vaporized in an “unfortunate black powder incident,” but, somehow, his “magnificent mustache” survived to haunt the town. Once a year, the spectral ’stache searches for an exposed upper lip to rest upon. Is it real or superstition? Students Parker and Lucas—sole members of the Midnight Owl Detective Agency—decide to take the case and solve the mustache mystery. When they find that the book of legends they need for their research has been checked out from the library, they recruit the borrower: goth classmate Samantha von Oppelstein. Will the three of them be enough to take on the mustache and resolve its ghostly, unfinished business? Whether through ridiculous plot points or over-the-top descriptions, the comedy keeps coming in this first title in McGee’s new Night Frights series. A generous font and spacing make this quick-paced, 13-chapter story appealing to newly confident readers. Skaffa’s grayscale cartoon spot (and occasional full-page) illustrations help set the tone and accentuate the action. Though neither race or skin color is described in the text, images show Lucas and Samantha as light-skinned and Parker as dark-skinned.
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair. (maps) (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8089-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Young readers will recognize Suds as one of their own and will gladly follow him to fourth grade. Sweet and funny.
Suds Morton is not yet a “Fourth Grade Rat.” In this prequel to Spinelli's 1991 standby, he is a year younger and, according to his school’s traditional chant, he aspires to the sobriquet of “Third Grade Angel.”
When his teacher announces her intention of rewarding angelic behavior with a halo, Suds decides he wants to be the first angel. Between his cool new friend Joey, his wise mom and a little conclusion-jumping, he comes up with a plan. But, of course, his results are just a little off-kilter. Suds, nicknamed for his preference for calming soaks in bubble baths when he gets “chipmunky,” needs all the help he can get to deal with the various disasters and tribulations that threaten to overwhelm him. Along with the angel chase there’s a pesky little sister, a fifth-grade bully and total rejection by the girl he adores. Spinelli doesn’t miss a beat in recreating the characters from the earlier work and never reveals any hint of Suds’ fourth-grade future. He lets readers into Suds’ 8-year-old mind without condescension. His problems and concerns are treated comically but with genuine kindness. Suds is innocent, gullible and trusting; he is also entirely good-hearted.
Young readers will recognize Suds as one of their own and will gladly follow him to fourth grade. Sweet and funny. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-38772-9
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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