A pointed fantasy tale with an original plot and a headstrong hedgehog.
In Roshni’s debut children’s novel, a risk-averse young hedgehog finds herself in the notorious Furrow, a highly organized small animal community filled with deceit and danger.
Heed, a hedgehog, is content to spend her days in the peaceful, predictable meadow. On her way home one evening, she passes a baby squirrel and hears an ominous swish from above; quickly, Heed wraps her body around the infant, protecting them both from a hungry owl with her sharp quills. After a feast with the squirrels in her honor, Heed accidentally slips down the tree and into the flooding river below. A trio of young hamsters secretly spirits her back to their home in the Furrow, an intricate maze of tunnels and caves that houses a collection of colonies, filled with hedgehog predators and prey. When the head Furrer, a fierce badger, discovers that Heed, a stranger, is in the Furrow, he makes sure that all involved face severe consequences. The hedgehog encounters jackals, owls, and a history of deception as she battles to return to her family and beloved meadow. Roshni uses anthropomorphism, a compelling plot, and strong character development to lure tween readers into this animal saga. The story moves quickly at a consistent pace, and readers will cheer Heed on as the young hedgehog takes risks, finds her voice, and decides whom to trust; many will also relate to how she discovers her untapped courage. A strong balance of description and dialogue effectively details the various environments and characters. However, although the Furrow makes for an intriguing, layered setting, the specific mix of animals there feels unnatural, due to their real-life habitat needs. Still, the novel’s deep storytelling features elements that call to mind classic animal-centered series, such as Brian Jacques’ Redwall books, and sets up questions for future series installments.
A pointed fantasy tale with an original plot and a headstrong hedgehog.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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