Plenty of amusing magic mayhem despite some minor stumbles.
A boy transformed into a dog by a magic wand seeks to reverse the spell in this middle-grade novel.
When his best friend, Mike Blackburn, gets a new magic wand, Charlie Fogalman is skeptical. How good could it be for three box tops and 50 cents? For his first trick, Mike decides to turn his annoying 3-year-old sister into a frog. But when Mike waves the wand and says the magic word “Abracadabra,” he produces a flash of purple light and Charlie morphs into a brown-and-white, beagle-sized dog—paws, fur, tail, slobber, and all. Worried that repeating the spell will only cause worse trouble, Mike vows to find another solution. Charlie can still talk, in between barks, so since he can’t go home yet, he calls his mother, claiming to be kidnapped. And since Mike’s father is allergic to canines, Charlie has to stay outside, where he must fend off threats from people like the town dog catcher. If Mike can’t reverse the curse in time, Charlie may have to stay a pup permanently. In his latest comic adventure for middle-graders, Trine provides a hilariously horrifying scenario of body-switching as Mike becomes increasingly canine, discovering a love for sniffing fire hydrants, drinking from the gutter, and chasing a mail carrier. Whether as a normal fifth grader or a dog, Charlie has a convincing age-appropriate voice, as when guessing what Mike’s wand could be: “ ‘Nose picker?’ I asked. ‘For those hard-to-reach places?’ ” At times, though, unlike in the author’s previous books, the humor becomes a trifle mean-spirited. Picking on a younger sibling is played for laughs (“It’s a big brother thing—inflict pain on smaller people, especially if they are related to you”). And while Charlie doesn’t like to see his mother cry, a child’s kidnapping would cause real anguish.
Plenty of amusing magic mayhem despite some minor stumbles.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 118
Publisher: Malamute Press
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Another zippy charmer—no Quibbles here.
The mad scientist Porch sisters finally face off against the abominable (and newly reanimated) Talon Sharktūth.
Following their escapades at the titular hotel in Secrets of the Purple Pearl (2025), sisters Dee-Dee, Eugenia, and Gertrude, who are adopted, find themselves swept up in another adventure with the Lavinias, Aunt Desdemona, and their 98-year-old Grantie Lettuce in ParisToo, which is “like Paris but smaller, and it’s in upstate New York.” Of course, the girls’ beloved mentor and teacher, Millicent Quibb, pops in and out, both warning and helping the trio. The Porches are Apocryphs, and each one has a unique power. Their sightseeing trip around ParisToo feels a bit too convenient, and as suspicious coincidences mount (along with sightings of members of the KRA, the shadowy cabal that revived Sharktūth), the girls suspect that something sinister is afoot. They eventually learn the truth of Sharktūth’s scheme, but can they stop him and the KRA before it’s too late? This third series entry satisfyingly answers many of the lingering questions of its predecessors. With all the zest and zeal of a caffeinated squirrel, this installment delivers the series’ patented quirkiness and giggle-generating plotlines, footnotes, and illustrations. Millicent Quibb wisely opines that “it takes much bravery, to be different…but really, if no one dared to do it, who would save the day?” This is an endearing tale of found family and believing in oneself, with an ending that hints at further adventures.
Another zippy charmer—no Quibbles here. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780316555814
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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