Skippable for newbies, but fans will salvage enough to make it worthwhile even as they hope for payoff next time.
Tom Ward, the Chipenden Spook, is back from the dead and ready to fight against the monstrous wolflike Kobalos horde, with his apprentice, Jenny Calder, and the witch assassin Grimalkin by his side.
The two white humans and the shape-shifting lamia do their best to prepare to fight evil, but old friends and foes enter the picture and complicate things. By the story’s end not much has changed for our heroes, but the author does a good job driving in circles and making readers feel like they’re seeing new scenery. Delaney’s usual blunt expository dialogue and clumsy narrative drive are on full display here, but so are his worldbuilding and mood-setting. Tom’s world, a boilerplate alternative medieval Europe, is filled with fog and moonlight and creepy creatures lurking behind every tree. Tom and Jenny don’t get much to do other than cope with bloody terror, but Delaney knows how to build a horrifying set piece. The adventure is no better built than the last, continually ambling toward a massive showdown with the enemy but never getting there, however a late reveal of an old foe provides just enough spark to make the book worth fans’ time. Here’s hoping the next installment will finally give readers a payoff to all this buildup.
Skippable for newbies, but fans will salvage enough to make it worthwhile even as they hope for payoff next time. (Grimalkin’s notes, glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-233456-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Fourteen-year-old aspiring filmmaker Larkin Pace is documenting his daily life to prepare for the big screens of Hollywood. Before the cameras can get rolling on his masterpiece, though, Larkin must figure out how to keep his almost-girlfriend Brooke away from popular Dalton, how to keep his sister’s ever-increasing drama out of his life and how to get his hands on the perfect video camera despite a depleted bank account. Packing his tale full of adolescent wackiness and angst, cartoonist Detorie strikes an excellent balance among school issues, family drama and personal aspirations, capturing the total teen experience. Larkin’s cinematic passion is honest without pretension, though teen readers might wish there were more contemporary movie references. Embodying the extreme teen emotional mood swing, Larkin’s sister Kelly will resonate with all those who have ever known a teenage diva. While Detorie keeps all plot points unified under a general film theme, some of the subplots could have been cut and the space used to develop Larkin and Brooke’s relationship. Well-placed and well-done black-and-white illustrations nicely further the story. No accidental work of genius, this—Detorie’s carefully crafted novel is an engaging experience. (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: April 26, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-60684-149-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Egmont USA
Review Posted Online: Feb. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
Just when you think every possible teen affliction has been covered in young adult literature, along comes Howse’s debut novel about the perils of acne. Severe acne can be painful and embarrassing to any teen, but the situation is especially calamitous for 13-year-old TV-commercial actress Olivia Hughes. She’s finally started her period, and her face begins to erupt at the worst possible time. She's just sealed the deal on a national advertising campaign to be the next Wacky Water Girl, and J.W., the hottest eighth-grader, has finally noticed her. Her dermatologist suggests reducing stress, but that's not likely. Her agent is pushy, her workaholic dad has relocated after her parents’ divorce, her regretful mother tries to relive missed opportunities through Olivia’s acting and Olivia has regular tiffs with her once-best friends. At first blaming the acne on a spider bite and then allergic reactions, Olivia must not only learn to admit that she has acne but that her career could be over forever. J.W.’s freshman cousin, Theo, who has rheumatoid arthritis, helps her find perspective and self-acceptance. While descriptions of Olivia’s various treatment methods lean toward didactic rather than enlightening, her melodramatic first-person narration sums up the transition from preteen to teen and the onset of puberty. Light reading before moving on to the snark and thongs of Louise Rennison’s Georgia Nicholson books. (author’s note) (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5830-2
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
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