A sweet, visually attractive utopian fantasy about an island where humans and dinosaurs—not to mention mammoths, flying reptiles, and exotic plants—live together in peace. Races and sexes are equal, long life is assured, and innovation is used to benefit the inhabitants, all thanks to the dinosaurs' benign influence. Literary stepchild of Robinson Crusoe and Shangri-La, midwifed by the Walts (Disney and Kelly), this creative anachronism purports to be a long-lost diary chronicling the discoveries of biologist Arthur Denison and his son after an 1862 shipwreck. The book's heart is its illustrations, presenting Gurney's imaginary society in the loving detail of the National Geographic—or a child's extravagant inventions. Much is made in the attendant publicity of the scientific accuracy, meaning that (though they speak seven languages, invent writing, and use tools) the dinosaurs look right. The technology surrounding the gliders, submarines, and helium balloons is also a little fuzzy, but by the time they appear the reader will either be charmed or alienated. More wistful fancy than a new vision of a cure for humanity's ills, but some adults—and children—will love it dearly. (Fiction. 8+)
Pub Date: Oct. 8, 1992
ISBN: 1-878685-23-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1992
Series fans, at least, will take this outing (and clear evidence of more to come) in stride.
Zipping back and forth in time atop outsized robo–bell bottoms, mad inventor Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) legs his way to center stage in this slightly less-labored continuation of episode 9.
The action commences after a rambling recap and a warning not to laugh or smile on pain of being forced to read Sarah Plain and Tall. Pilkey first sends his peevish protagonist back a short while to save the Earth (destroyed in the previous episode), then on to various prehistoric eras in pursuit of George, Harold and the Captain. It’s all pretty much an excuse for many butt jokes, dashes of off-color humor (“Tippy pressed the button on his Freezy-Beam 4000, causing it to rise from the depths of his Robo-Pants”), a lengthy wordless comic and two tussles in “Flip-o-rama.” Still, the chase kicks off an ice age, the extinction of the dinosaurs and the Big Bang (here the Big “Ka-Bloosh!”). It ends with a harrowing glimpse of what George and Harold would become if they decided to go straight. The author also chucks in a poopy-doo-doo song with musical notation (credited to Albert P. Einstein) and plenty of ink-and-wash cartoon illustrations to crank up the ongoing frenzy.
Series fans, at least, will take this outing (and clear evidence of more to come) in stride. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-17536-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
Bear Island is a challenging environment to survive but a terrific thrill on the page.
A fateful kayaking trip forces Tom to grow up fast while he faces dangers he only ever dreamed about.
When his mother died in a biking accident three years ago, Tom had to struggle to find his way back to a normal life. Dad was no help, as he reacted to the loss of his wife by shutting down and shutting out the rest of the world. But a kayaking trip in Alaska’s Prince William Sound seems to be a turning point for the two of them, a chance to start living the rest of their lives as a family again. Unfortunately, a choppy sea and a bad accident rip them apart, and Tom is forced to struggle for his own survival on Bear Island. Facing starvation, injury and the eponymous bears, Tom relies on the hope of finding his father to get him through his ordeal. Greci delivers a compelling narrative that manages to keep a quick pace despite being built around one character alone in the wilds. Flashbacks to the moments before the accident and memories of life before the trip work well to explain certain plot points and to add texture and meaning to the first-person narrative. The tension is well-crafted and realistic.
Bear Island is a challenging environment to survive but a terrific thrill on the page. (Adventure. 9-14)Pub Date: March 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9854810-9-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Move Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
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