A magical, high-stakes adventure of courage, friendship, and self-forgiveness.
Fetch, a cursed fox, sets out to rescue his sister from the winter palace in this companion to The Daggers of Ire (2024).
Haunted by guilt, Fetch has long dreamed of saving his sister, Violet, who was stolen by the winter queen, Celeste, five years ago. He finally sets out on his quest. At his side is Beck, the dragon who’s “half bone, half dream,” spun by Fetch from magical spools of thread. They journey through forests, a town populated by giants, and woods guarded by massive, poisonous worms. Along the way, Fetch gains allies in pale-skinned, black-haired Hawthorn, a brave girl with green eyes whose loyalty never wavers, and Garzo, a “dramatic, self-absorbed” fairy whose help arrives at just the right times. Each step brings Fetch closer to the winter palace, his sister, and a dangerous secret. To succeed, he must master his Zindero abilities, weaving powers like invisibility and strength to outwit foes and evade traps before time runs out and he loses his sister (and his magic) forever. Cervantes balances action with emotional depth, exploring themes of friendship and self-discovery. Subtle hints of a darker, internal threat echo events from the first book, adding tension. The worldbuilding is vivid and immersive, and the narrative combines suspense, humor, and heart to create a story that will be accessible to new readers while rewarding fans of the series. Final art not seen.
A magical, high-stakes adventure of courage, friendship, and self-forgiveness. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9780063312135
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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