Maybe it will inspire readers’ interest in its sources.
Greek mythology meets The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Modern-day girl Athena, 8, is swept up in a sudden thunderstorm on the way home from school and lands “in Magical Mount Olympus” along the Hello Brick Road. The digital dog from her video game joins her, in the flesh, as the canine companion for her adventure. The first beings they encounter are friendly—talking owls who suggest she ask Zeus how to get home and the Glinda-like goddess Hestia. But when flying sandals zoom onto Athena’s feet, she has a run-in with nasty Medusa—who looks just like Athena’s mean-girl classmate of the same name back home—who pursues her in an effort to take the sandals. While following the Hello Brick Road to find Zeus and get home, Athena encounters and helps unlucky Persephone, who tags along hoping to ask Zeus for some luck. The climactic showdown with Medusa involves facing a band of animals she’s turned into stone and quick-thinking trickery on Athena’s part. The plot feels recycled, the resolution might strike some readers as a bit too easy, and the worldbuilding rules are a bit inconsistent for the targeted age. It ends before the girls reach Zeus, so the adventures can continue. Athena and Medusa present white; Hestia presents black.
Maybe it will inspire readers’ interest in its sources. (cast of characters, glossary, discussion questions, author’s note) (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3106-5
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...
Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.
This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.
Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6649-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
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