“WARNING: CONTAINS A DANGEROUS BEAST AND A MISERABLE END.” It says it right on the cover, so the fainthearted can’t say they weren’t properly admonished. Belloc first published this rhyming cautionary tale about the perils of disobedience in 1907, and this version debuted in England in 2009. Grey’s artwork is gorgeous and bold (that perfect ham!). Fold-outs, pop-ups and lift-up flaps contribute to the over-the-top element that makes even little Jim’s bloody, chewed-off head seem not as horrific as it might. In fact, readers may not feel a lick of sympathy for Jim, as the boy looks bored out of his mind throughout, only showing emotion (fear, to be exact) when the lion begins to consume him by degrees. The elaborate fold-out “ZOO RULES AND BYELAWS” section is uproariously funny, including the “If You Are an Animal” column forbidding creatures to trumpet, stampede, charge, constrict, maul, circle, swarm, etc. All but the most sensitive children (over eight) will laugh their…heads off—especially if the book is read aloud with an English accent. (Picture book. 8 & up)
Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-375-85970-0
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sugary dessert for preteen readers who love ballet, with a spoonful of whipped cream thrown in for pony fans.
In her third outing, Katie faces disruptions to her well-ordered life from the new girl in class.
Katie’s family now lives in Scotland’s Cloudberry Castle, which they inherited; her mum, a former dancer, runs a ballet school there. All is happiness for Katie, who loves to dance and hang with her classmates. Then trouble arrives in the guise of a new student, Velvet, whose father is a big Hollywood actor. Velvet is getting an introduction to ballet as training for an upcoming movie. Suddenly, best friends are no longer that. Will Velvet steal the limelight? Another complication in Katie’s life is the abused pony that an old friend now owns. Can Katie balance her love of the pony with her love of ballet? In a somewhat far-fetched plot twist, New York City Ballet announces that ballet students can audition for a role in their traveling performances of The Nutcracker Suite. Katie adores the ballet, especially the second act, which takes place in the Land of Sweets, perfect for her own sweet tooth. Will she get the coveted role of Clara? American readers should be able to work out most of the Scottish wording and phraseology without too much trouble.
A sugary dessert for preteen readers who love ballet, with a spoonful of whipped cream thrown in for pony fans. (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-86315-920-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Floris
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Timely subject matter and an adequate romance, but nothing super.
Geeky girl with absent father and quirky hobby meets unsuitable boy, then realizes Mr. Right has been under her nose all along.
Blaze's self-centered father, a caricature, left the family to become an actor, leaving her with only her name (from Ghost Rider's Johnny Blaze) and a love for classic Marvel Comics. Now, Blaze spends her time ferrying her 13-year-old brother Josh and his farting, breast-ogling, gay-joke–making friends to and from soccer practice. She has a crush on Mark, Josh's soccer coach, but their relationship fails to progress until Blaze's friend snaps a picture of Blaze trying on lingerie and sends it to Mark's phone. After a confusing and pressure-filled sexual encounter and Mark's subsequent brushoff, Mark posts the half-naked photo on clunkily named Facebook stand-in FriendsPlace, and it goes viral. The resultant bullying is harsh but believable, and it's satisfying to see Blaze channeling her hurt and anger into making comics and redecorating her Superturd of a minivan. Less impressive, however, are some of Blaze's asides to the reader (“Stuart is one of only three black students in our school....I feel somewhat hip and urban having him here at my house”) and the frequent subtle digs at girls being high-maintenance, stalkers, actual sluts and brainwashing feminists.
Timely subject matter and an adequate romance, but nothing super. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7348-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
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