A 13-year-old klutz earns entry to an airborne Academy for young superheroes, and proves her mettle when students and faculty from a rival institution attack the school for supervillains. Sound familiar? It should; the 2005 film Sky High shares the same premise, and Zoom, a 2006 Tim Allen vehicle currently in production, was adapted from Lethcoe’s comic book, which he improves upon here with some clever touches. The heroes all wear self-designed outfits (illustrated in the author’s occasional small pencil drawings), bear evocative names like “Beetlebomb” (good, though gross—he can blow himself up), or “Lucifina” (evil), and while taking classes in fighting dirty and creating melodramatic music, the villains-in-training wonder why it is that Good usually prevails. Young Summer, the low-self-esteem protagonist, turns out to have the vanishingly rare ability to enhance the superpowers of others and by saving Zoom’s Academy for the Super Gifted, she earns the ultimate reward: a comic of her own. Not exactly groundbreaking, but above average as media tie-ins go. (Fantasy. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2005
ISBN: 0-345-48355-3
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In this lively opener to the Three Thieves series, young gymnast Dessa, searching for her kidnapped twin brother, joins two fellow circus performers in an attempted heist, a prison escape and a merry chase through and out of the fortress of Kingsbridge. Along the way she spots the kidnapper, who escapes her and so sets up a continuing plotline. Artfully using exchanged glances and wordless panels to add both humor and emotional depth, Chantler introduces a likable trio of thieves in a medieval-ish setting and throws in several worthy adversaries—including an intelligent, conflicted guard captain who spends much of the tale hot on their trail. He further spices things up by rendering Dessa's companions as nonhuman: Topper, "the greatest thief in North Huntington," is a small, blue, irascible gnome-like creature, and Fisk is a large, slow, lavender troll-like thing with a hairstyle ever-so-slightly reminiscent of the Human Torch's. The banter among the three is sharp and witty and balances the visual pacing effortlessly. Fast paced, cleanly illustrated, great fun. (Graphic fantasy. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55453-414-2
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
Sixth grader Randy spots a dog tied to a tree in a sleet storm and resolves to help, but after visiting it, he realizes it's being seriously abused. Although he reports the cruelty to the police, he’s told that without proof of abuse, which he must collect, they cannot intervene. The appearance of a ghost dog determined to push Randy into saving the animal—and some encouragement from a friend—finally motivate him to rescue the dog by stealing it and hiding it away. Later, after being found out by his mother, she reluctantly becomes the dog’s official foster parent, even as they are being stalked by its violent owner. The ghost dog makes several appearances, each time presciently guiding Randy. A lecture he (bizarrely) receives in school on “evidence to look for if we think someone has a methamphetamine lab on their property,” plays a major role in the conclusion, one of several too-convenient aspects of the resolution. Readers eager for ghosts and suspense may enjoy this only-average, sometimes improbable effort. (pattern for animal-shelter cat blanket, Web resources on ghosts and animal cruelty) (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-525-42178-8
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
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