Here’s hoping new books will arrive before the current intended audience moves on to larger tomes.
A resilient and self-reliant young princess must save her kingdom from nefarious forces in the first installment of a new chapter-book series.
Princess Jesireen’s parents, King Willem and Queen Eris of East Waveborn, and her older sister, Princess Alex, have been called away, leaving Jes in the care of a stranger called Lady Umber. If “anything comes up” while the king and queen are away, this stern, sharp-featured woman will rule as regent. When Jes discovers Lady Umber’s plot to assassinate the royal family, the intrepid 9-year-old springs into action. She can’t allow this evil woman to control her country! As Jes meets with royal children from the other Waveborn islands, she finds out the other kings and queens are dead and have been replaced with regents—all of whom, although their names differ, look and sound like Lady Umber. Who’s behind this plan to take over the islands? A short-tempered, physically active princess in boy’s clothing; a woman pirate–turned-housekeeper; a just and democratic monarchy; and energy produced by volcanic steam—this ambitious chapter book packs a punch. The character development and neatly structured world with a fleshed-out history are accompanied by lots of action and humor. Most characters, including Jes, her family, and Lady Umber, are assumed white; Jes’ booby-trap–happy fellow royal, Princess Amalia, has brown skin, as does Jes’ parents’ airship captain.
Here’s hoping new books will arrive before the current intended audience moves on to larger tomes. (Fantasy. 6-10)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-944821-32-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: CBAY
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A classic story of outsiders making friends—with a little something more.
After moving to a new city, a girl attends a wilderness camp to help her make new friends.
When astronomy-obsessed 9-year-old Vega’s dad Wes gets a new job, the family moves from Portland to Seattle. Vega is not happy about this change and doesn’t want to leave her best friend behind, worrying they will grow apart. Vega’s dad Javi thinks making new friends will help her adjust, so he signs her up for Camp Very Best Friend, which is designed to help introverted local children build new friendships. Vega is not exactly eager to go but makes a deal with Wes, agreeing to try out camp as long as he tries to make a new friend too. It quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary outdoor adventure, and Vega and her fellow campers try to figure out what is really going on. The story smoothly incorporates STEM facts with insets on the page to define and highlight terms or tools. An unexpected twist toward the end of this fast-paced adventure that reveals the truth behind the camp will surprise readers. The clean, bright artwork is enhanced by panels of varying shapes and clear, easy-to-follow speech bubbles. Race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation are not explicitly addressed; characters’ names and physical appearances indicate a broadly diverse cast starting with brown-skinned Vega and her two dads.
A classic story of outsiders making friends—with a little something more. (Graphic fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: June 29, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-5566-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
Returning fans will be happy to see their friends, but this outing's unlikely to win them new ones.
In the second installment of the Binder of Doom series, readers will reconnect with Alexander Bopp, who leads the Super Secret Monster Patrol, a group of mutant children who protect the citizens of their beloved town of Stermont.
His friends Nikki and Rip rejoin him to add new monsters and adventures to their ever growing binder of monsters. As in series opener Brute-Cake (2019), Alexander and his friends attend the local library’s summer program, this time for “maker-camp.” They are assigned a Maker Challenge, in which each camper is to “make a machine that performs a helpful task”; meanwhile, mechanical equipment is being stolen all over Stermont. Unfortunately, the pacing and focus of the book hop all over the place. The titular boa constructor (a two-headed maker-minded snake and the culprit behind the thefts) is but one of many monsters introduced here, appearing more than two-thirds of the way through the story—just after the Machine Share-Time concludes the maker-camp plotline. (Rip’s “most dangerous” invention does come in handy at the climax.) The grayscale illustrations add visuals that will keep early readers engaged despite the erratic storyline; they depict Alexander with dark skin and puffy hair and Nikki and Rip with light skin. Monster trading cards are interleaved with the story.
Returning fans will be happy to see their friends, but this outing's unlikely to win them new ones. (Paranormal adventure. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-31469-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019
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