A fresh game of cat and mouse.
Redemption is tested in this third series installment.
Bethany and Ebenezer’s do-gooding efforts are having mixed results—while Ebenezer’s problem-solving business has fallen flat, Bethany’s had so much success that Miss Muddle is planning a not-so-surprise party in her honor. Ebenezer sets his jealousy aside when Nicholas Nickle of D.o.R.R.i.S.—the Division of Removing Rapscallions in Secret—tells them that the beast, post–memory loss, is reformed and ready to be released. Worse, he wants to release the beast to Ebenezer and Bethany’s custody—and Mr. Nickle has something to hold over Ebenezer to force him to agree. While Bethany storms out seeking space, Ebenezer learns that the baby-talking, eager-to-please beast is happy to churn out solutions for all of the Wise Tweezer’s unsatisfied customers, resulting in endless praise and adoration toward Ebenezer. While he becomes convinced of the beast’s redemption (and enjoys the fruits of it), Bethany remains convinced that this is all part of a long con that only she can see through. The narrative is careful to support both viewpoints without ruling out either, so as not to undermine the question of who can change and who deserves forgiveness. This especially applies given Bethany’s and Ebenezer’s checkered pasts. The conclusion brings silly action as well as a healthy portion of nuance. An epilogue hints at a new conflict to come. Follath’s lively, whimsical illustrations add to the humor and intrigue. The artwork shows some background diversity; Bethany and Ebenezer are White.
A fresh game of cat and mouse. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-66590-382-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Plays to Rowling’s fan base; equally suited for gifting and reading aloud or alone.
A 7-year-old descends into the Land of the Lost in search of his beloved comfort object.
Jack has loved Dur Pig long enough to wear the beanbag toy into tattered shapelessness—which is why, when his angry older stepsister chucks it out the car window on Christmas Eve, he not only throws a titanic tantrum and viciously rejects the titular replacement pig, but resolves to sneak out to find DP. To his amazement, the Christmas Pig offers to guide him to the place where all lost Things go. Whiffs of childhood classics, assembled with admirable professionalism into a jolly adventure story that plays all the right chords, hang about this tale of loss and love. Along with family drama, Rowling stirs in fantasy, allegory, and generous measures of social and political commentary. Pursued by the Land’s cruel and monstrous Loser, Jack and the Christmas Pig pass through territories from the Wastes of the Unlamented, where booger-throwing Bad Habits roam, to the luxurious City of the Missed for encounters with Hope, Happiness, and Power (a choleric king who rejects a vote that doesn’t go his way). A joyful reunion on the Island of the Beloved turns poignant, but Christmas Eve being “a night for miracles and lost causes,” perhaps there’s still a chance (with a little help from Santa) for everything to come right? In both the narrative and Field’s accomplished, soft-focus illustrations, the cast presents White.
Plays to Rowling’s fan base; equally suited for gifting and reading aloud or alone. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-79023-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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