A bit of a sophomore slump but not enough to dampen fans’ spirits for subsequent adventures.
In this sophomore effort, skeleton Rickety Stitch and his amorphous amigo attempt to solve the mystery of Rickety’s shadowy past.
Reanimated skeleton and bard Rickety Stitch, along with his gelatinous companion, Goo, is still trying to find mythical Epoli in hopes of learning about his formerly living self. To get there, the pair must journey up the Middle-Route Run, a precarious path where travelers race through endless danger and vandals. Rickety and Goo join a musical ensemble on a caravan transporting a vast, dubiously obtained treasure down the route; double-crosses, hijinks, and surprises ensue. Propelled by constant, comical action, most of the scenes, although busy, only offer enough to tantalize and not satisfy; Rickety discovers only the barest tidbits about his past, leaving readers hopeful that more will be revealed in later offerings. Evinced through large, bright panels, the art is alluringly vivid and kinetic, with a strong animated feel. While the previous volume was suffused with wonderfully irreverent humor, however, this one shies away from such cheek, veering into middle-grade–level jokes and gentler insults. Readers expecting banter on par with Noelle Stevenson’s Nimona might be a bit discouraged to see it more comparable to Jeff Smith’s Bone.
A bit of a sophomore slump but not enough to dampen fans’ spirits for subsequent adventures. (Graphic fantasy. 11-14)Pub Date: July 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-55616-6
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: June 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
Well-educated American boys from privileged families have abundant options for college and career. For Chiko, their Burmese counterpart, there are no good choices. There is never enough to eat, and his family lives in constant fear of the military regime that has imprisoned Chiko’s physician father. Soon Chiko is commandeered by the army, trained to hunt down members of the Karenni ethnic minority. Tai, another “recruit,” uses his streetwise survival skills to help them both survive. Meanwhile, Tu Reh, a Karenni youth whose village was torched by the Burmese Army, has been chosen for his first military mission in his people’s resistance movement. How the boys meet and what comes of it is the crux of this multi-voiced novel. While Perkins doesn’t sugarcoat her subject—coming of age in a brutal, fascistic society—this is a gentle story with a lot of heart, suitable for younger readers than the subject matter might suggest. It answers the question, “What is it like to be a child soldier?” clearly, but with hope. (author’s note, historical note) (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58089-328-2
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
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