An entertaining patchwork of classic fairy-tale lore conveyed by an engaging feline narrator.
In Sommer’s middle-grade novel, a thoughtful cat helps out when a kingdom is afflicted by fairy mischief and enchantments.
What should a queen do when she gives birth to an eighth daughter, but her royal husband wants a male heir? In this clever and humorous fairy-tale pastiche, Queen Eglantine bargains with Oona, Queen of the Fairies, to secretly exchange her baby princess with a peasant couple’s baby boy. The tiny princess becomes an enchanted flower in Oona’s garden; the stolen baby, Malachy, is diverted into the clutches of wicked fairy Carabosse, who holds a long-standing grudge against the king. Carabosse, unaware that Malachy is not the real royal heir, magically entraps the infant at the bottom of a lake. The author enjoyably incorporates numerous fairy-tale elements in her narrative, including a grumpy but helpful leprechaun, a handsome prince, a book of spells, and tales-within-tales. Throughout, a cat named Smokey draws readers in as the story’s first-person narrator, wry observer, active participant, and believable feline (the author clearly knows cats). Smokey’s descriptions of the fairy-tale world around him are satisfyingly picturesque and occasionally poetic (he looks up to see “the last eye wink of the waning moon greet the rising sun”). The comedy arises organically from the story: Peasant mother Maeve (one of several strong female characters in addition to the eldest princess, Rose) doesn’t realize that her baby has been replaced with a changeling—an unsavory prankster fairy known as a “wagwit” who comically enjoys Maeve’s pampering while taunting Smokey behind her back. Carabosse makes the king’s servants invisible but for their white gloves and turns members of the court into cats. Things look dire for the future of the kingdom, but readers can be assured of an inclusive happily-ever-after.
An entertaining patchwork of classic fairy-tale lore conveyed by an engaging feline narrator.Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2026
ISBN: 9798893900989
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Braughler Books LLC
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
