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THE BOY, THE BEAR, THE BARON, THE BARD

Name: THE BOY, THE BEAR, THE BARON, THE BARD
Author: Gregory Rogers
ISBN: 1-59643-009-5

by Gregory Rogers & illustrated by Gregory Rogers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2004

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When a little boy goes into an abandoned theater to retrieve a lost soccer ball, he sets himself up for a trip through time to the 16th century, emerging on the stage of the Globe in the middle of a performance. Pursued through London by an enraged Shakespeare, he frees and then befriends both a caged bear and an imprisoned baron before managing to get back home. Rogers tells his story without words, employing both sequential panels and full-bleed double-page spreads to move the action along and to give a vivid sense of time and place. The seamier aspects of the 16th century come to life, quick ink-and-watercolor cartoons focusing on gap-toothed and blemished groundlings and panning over head-festooned pikes on London Bridge. The story itself is a rollicking chase, punctuated by a cozy nap for boy and bear and a merry dance later on when all three fugitives hop onto Queen Elizabeth’s barge to escape the Bard. Most children will need some adult guidance to understand everything that’s going on, but the good-humored action and touching friendships need no explanation. One-of-a-kind fun. (Picture book. 6-12)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2004

ISBN: 1-59643-009-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2004

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE HERO OF LITTLE STREET
by Gregory Rogers & illustrated by Gregory Rogers

- BOOK REVIEW
ROLAND WRIGHT, BOOK 1
by Tony Davis & illustrated by Gregory Rogers

- BOOK REVIEW
MIDSUMMER KNIGHT
by Gregory Rogers & illustrated by Gregory Rogers

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SECRETS OF THE PURPLE PEARL

From the Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science series , Vol. 2

by Kate McKinnon ; illustrated by Alfredo Cáceres ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 2025

Unforgettably quirky, fast-paced fun.

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In a race against their enemies, the Porch girls must find a peculiar pearl in order to foil a fiendish plot.

After defeating a monstrous Kyrgalops in The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science (2024), Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee Porch find themselves (after a series of madcap events) at Lake Kagloopy’s Purple Pearl Hotel with their mentor, Millicent Quibb. Quibb informs the trio that they must find the titular pearl before the members of their evil mad-scientist rivals, the KRA, do. If they fail, the KRA (whose members include the malevolent mayor, Majestina DeWeen, and her slimy sycophantic lawyer, Ashley Cookie) plans to use the gem to bestow the Gift of Endless Vibrancy on the villainous Talon Sharktūth. Hilarity ensues as the Porches attend the annual Shrimp Ball, encounter Umbrella Turkeys, search for Cloudite (floating cloud rocks), and don invisible but smelly woolen coats. Jokes aside, the girls’ story is intriguing, offering more clues to their mysterious backgrounds and tantalizing tidbits promising later adventures. McKinnon offers bountiful backstory (alongside a running joke to encourage readers to pick up the preceding volume) and enough guffaw-inducing jokes, zany footnotes, and creative jargon to enthrall readers both new and old with her delightful sophomore effort. Mixing humor, found family, and well-wrought worldbuilding, this sequel is a certain crowd pleaser. Final art not seen; in the previous book, the grayscale illustrations showed the girls with varying skin tones.

Unforgettably quirky, fast-paced fun. (appendices) (Adventure. 8-12)

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025

ISBN: 9780316555296

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MILLICENT QUIBB SCHOOL OF ETIQUETTE FOR YOUNG LADIES OF MAD SCIENCE
by Kate McKinnon ; illustrated by Alfredo Cáceres

- SEEN & HEARD
Sequel to ‘Millicent Quibb’ Coming in the Fall

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THE WILD ROBOT PROTECTS

From the Wild Robot series , Vol. 3

by Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2023

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.

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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)