This novel should be in the hands of every human young enough at heart to be enchanted by the written word.
Sophie is given an extraordinary book to repair, and with it comes all manner of magic and danger.
If E. Nesbit penned Don Quixote, the results would be something like this extravagant tale. In this sequel to Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes(2011), that book’s title character returns to meet his equal in Sophie, a 12-year-old bookmender. She has dark skin, unlike most of her fellow Bustleburghers, inherited from her deceased mother, who came from a faraway island. Peter delivers to her the magical Book of Who, which puts her in the sights of Inquisitor Prigg, whose life objective is to destroy all nonsense, most specifically storybooks. Sophie quickly learns that the danger to her is very real, as she is a Storyguard, like her mother before her. In the dubious company of charms-purveyor Madame Eldritch, a hexed mandrake, Sir Tode (a small, hooved, catlike creature), and a giant silver tigress, Sophie must find and protect the other three books: of what, where, and when, of course. Together, the four volumes contain information about all the magic that ever existed. Themes of parental legacy, friendship, and the permanence of stories in the minds of their readers are woven through this elaborate adventure. Auxier balances delectable language, invigorating nonsense, and wisdom with aplomb.
This novel should be in the hands of every human young enough at heart to be enchanted by the written word. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1747-5
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
Enigmatic enemies, sabotage, space travel, and short, bone-wracking bits of time travel make for a banging adventure.
All remaining humans are leaving Mars for a distant planet, but departure day goes sideways.
The “burning husk” of Earth fell into the sun five years ago, and Mars is about to become uninhabitable. The Scorpius leaves today with the last 100 million passengers. Thirteen-year-old Liam’s sad to go: he was born on Mars and identifies as a Martian, unconcerned that his Earth heritage is “Thai, Irish, Nigerian, Texan, and like ten more.” His parents and his friend Phoebe’s parents are rushing the final research for terraforming their destination planet when a radioactive explosion, complete with mushroom cloud, blows the lab to bits. The Scorpius departs with Liam’s sister and the 100 million aboard, leaving Liam, Phoebe, and a highly skilled robot functionally alone (their parents are alive but unconscious)—can they catch the Scorpius? Emerson’s story is fast, exciting, and terrifying, involving spacecraft of many sizes, travel through space, more explosions, an alien gadget that shows Liam the near future (and that extraterrestrials exist! Humans hadn’t known), and some shadowy characters. Who’s the blue ET chronologist murdered in Scene 1? Who’s trying to exterminate humankind, and why? How many unrelated ET groups are out there? A stunning reveal at the end will leave readers gasping for the next installment.
Enigmatic enemies, sabotage, space travel, and short, bone-wracking bits of time travel make for a banging adventure. (Science fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-230671-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
A fun little adventure brimming with Disney intellectual-property synergy.
A young mouse earns her place among a secret society of world-savers.
Bernadette is a small rodent with big ambitions: joining the Mouse Watch, an elite team of mice that protect the world from evil while keeping themselves secret from humans. Bernie has long dreamed of joining her idol, Gadget Hackwrench (the female lead of Disney’s popular cartoon Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers), and going on gizmo-filled, adrenaline-fueled adventures. As a new recruit of the Watch, Bernie befriends Jarvis, a sensitive rat with puzzle-solving skills to spare. The two rodents flit from set piece to set piece, uncovering a dastardly plot concocted by the devilish Dr. Thornpaw that could turn the world upside down. Readers familiar with Rescue Rangers will find similar rhythms here: a precise blend of jokes, action, and plucky young heroes ambitious to prove themselves. The novel is smartly paced, keeping readers pushing forward but with just enough assurance that everything will turn out OK in the end. It’s a comfort read, one that tees up a sequel in its final pages and points back just enough to Rescue Rangers that young readers interested in exploring more of this world won’t be disappointed (provided their families have subscribed to Disney +).
A fun little adventure brimming with Disney intellectual-property synergy. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-368-05218-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
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