An average mystery with the added spice of danger and an engaging depiction of a distinctive and wondrous place.
Buck Bray is about to become the star of his own new nature series, with the first episode set in Denali National Park in Alaska.
His father is in charge, Shoop is the cameraman, and Shoop’s adopted Asian daughter, Toni, is to be the “gofer.” Buck, an intrepid white 11-year-old, has a gift for getting into trying situations, like ending up (with Toni) too close to a grizzly bear. Through their own astute powers of observation and innate curiosity, Toni and Buck discover—then run afoul of—a grizzly-cub kidnapping trio. Why the criminals choose to commit the crime in the well-patrolled national park instead of almost anywhere else or even what their motivation for wanting the cubs might be are just two of the many unconvincing premises upon which the narrative dangerously teeters. Although plenty of interesting animal information is included, it doesn’t fully make up for clunky exposition and a predictable if improbable plot. Buck and Toni are likable enough, and their enthusiasm for the park is amply displayed. Along with the details of film production that are included and an exciting (if not especially plausible) climax, these qualities may be enough to sustain reader interest.
An average mystery with the added spice of danger and an engaging depiction of a distinctive and wondrous place. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-58536-970-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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