This zombie hamster doesn’t have much bite.
For Christmas, Matt wants a Runesword that will allow him to ditch his control pad and take his level-28 cleric into whole new realms of awesomeness. He gets Snuffles the hamster—who pretty soon turns into Anti-Snuffles, the zombie hamster, who promptly escapes.
This is a problem, as in Matt’s America, towns are surrounded by high walls and patrolled by Zombie Squads. (The back story behind the zombie plague, which evidently began only recently, is elided.) A zombie hamster inside the walls puts Matt’s family in legal jeopardy, so Matt and his pals embark on a stop-and-go search for Anti-Snuffles before he can turn all Edenvale’s pets into deadbeats. McCreely’s execution of his premise is scattershot. Matt relates his tale in an unconvincing, diarylike structure, but there’s no sense that Matt is actually keeping a diary, making it a conceit without any real justification. Perhaps coincidentally, his voice is very similar to another, famous, diary-keeping middle schooler, and Matt seems to suffer equally from a sort of narrative ADHD. Bouts of anxiety over Anti-Snuffles’ depredations alternate with games of Runespell and lamentations at the appointment of his mother as a new long-term substitute teacher. The plot twist that has the best promise of engaging readers emotionally occurs over halfway through the book; those who make it that far may be interested enough to wait for the sequel, but that’s not a sure thing.
This zombie hamster doesn’t have much bite. (Funny horror. 8-12)Pub Date: July 8, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60684-491-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Egmont USA
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new...
How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage.
Living in a "domain" of glass, metal and cement at the Big Top Mall, Ivan sometimes forgets whether to act like a gorilla or a human—except Ivan does not think much of humans. He describes their behavior as frantic, whereas he is a peaceful artist. Fittingly, Ivan narrates his tale in short, image-rich sentences and acute, sometimes humorous, observations that are all the more heartbreaking for their simple delivery. His sorrow is palpable, but he stoically endures the cruelty of humans until Ruby the baby elephant is abused. In a pivotal scene, Ivan finally admits his domain is a cage, and rather than let Ruby live and die in grim circumstances, he promises to save her. In order to express his plea in a painting, Ivan must bravely face buried memories of the lush jungle, his family and their brutal murder, which is recounted in a brief, powerful chapter sure to arouse readers’ passions. In a compelling ending, the more challenging question Applegate poses is whether or not Ivan will remember what it was like to be a gorilla. Spot art captures poignant moments throughout.
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-199225-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
