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CLOVER'S LUCK

From the Magical Animal Adoption Agency series , Vol. 1

Clover’s sweet story is a good next step for lovers of the Magic Tree House.

Clover might have a lucky name, but she is sure that she's the unluckiest girl ever.

Clover believes in luck, and she's tried everything to improve hers. She painted her room green (the color of clovers), she hung a horseshoe above her bed, and she carries a wishbone everywhere. Nothing works. Now her best friend, Emma, has gotten the last space at Pony Camp, and Clover will be alone all summer. When her pet canary escapes through a hole in her window, Clover chases the bird into the dark and forbidding Woods that surround the town. She doesn't catch the bird, but she sees an ad for volunteers at an animal adoption agency posted on a tree. When she finds the cottage on Dragon Tail Lane, she learns that Mr. Jams fosters magical animals. He accepts her as a volunteer but must leave on a special rescue mission almost immediately. He places Clover in charge. Can she do the job without her bad luck tripping her up—especially with a wicked witch about? George kicks off her Magical Animal Adoption Agency series with the tale of how Clover discovers her luck isn’t what she thought it was. All works out appropriately conveniently for the audience, and the solidly written, gentle tale of magic and self-reliance will entertain confident new independent readers.

Clover’s sweet story is a good next step for lovers of the Magic Tree House. (Fantasy. 6-10)

Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4231-8382-2

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014

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MEET THE BIGFEET

From the Yeti Files series , Vol. 1

Good-hearted fun—great for fans of Kit Feeny and Babymouse.

It’s a Bigfeet family reunion!

Everyone’s favorite frosty, furry cryptid, the yeti, actually has a name: Blizz Richards. From his supersecret HQ in Nepal he keeps in touch with his fellow cryptids, all of whom have sworn an oath to keep themselves hidden. That’s not always easy, especially when there are cryptozoologists, like the nasty (but bumbling) George Vanquist, who are always trying to expose the secretive creatures. Vanquist got a picture of Blizz’s cousin Brian near his home in British Columbia, causing the mortified Brian to disappear entirely. When Blizz receives an invitation to a Bigfeet family reunion in Canada, he calls his buddies Alexander (one of Santa’s elves), Gunthar (a goblin) and Frank the Arctic fox to help him get ready. When they arrive in Canada, Brian is still nowhere to be seen. Can Blizz and his skunk ape and other sasquatch cousins find Brian, have the reunion and evade Vanquist? If anyone can, the Bigfeet clan can. Illustrator Sherry’s first volume in the Yeti Files is a fast and funny graphic-prose tale full of labeled pictures and comic-style panels. Those just starting chapter books may have some trouble with a few big words, but they’ll enjoy the big friendly monsters and immediately ask for the next tale—which looks to be about the Loch Ness monster.

Good-hearted fun—great for fans of Kit Feeny and Babymouse. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 7-10)

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-545-55617-0

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: May 27, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014

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THE DRAGON THIEF

From the Dragons in a Bag series , Vol. 2

Despite missteps, this satisfying follow-up will leave readers hoping for more magical adventures with lovable Jax and...

Jaxon and his friends deal with the fallout from the theft of one of the baby dragons in his charge.

As this sequel to Dragons in a Bag (2018) opens, Kavita, the titular dragon thief, introduces elderly Aunty to stolen baby dragon Mo. Thankfully, Aunty knows someone in Queens who can help return Mo to the realm of magic. Meanwhile, and in alternating first-person chapters, Jax is trying to find Kavi and Mo, as Mo’s siblings have grown ill as a result of the separation, as has Ma, Jax’s magical mentor and grandmother figure. Jax again teams up with his best friend and Kavi’s older brother, Vik. A third is added to their crew with “huge” Kenny, “the biggest kid in [their] class.” (Unfortunately, much is made of Kenny’s size, which feels gratuitous and unkind.) Eventually the trio finds Kavi, Aunty, and Mo, who’ve been abducted by a magical con artist. All’s well that ends well when Sis, the powerful guardian of the magic realm, shows up, but readers may wonder why the narrative decides to grapple with her choice not to intervene in injustice in our world. Her argument that human-caused problems are for humans to solve feels undeveloped, especially in the face of a massive injustice like the trans-Atlantic slave trade (mentioned during the climax and at no other point). Jax is black; Vik, Kavi, and Aunty are Indian American (though Aunty has African ancestry as well); and Kenny is white. The rest of the cast is diverse as well.

Despite missteps, this satisfying follow-up will leave readers hoping for more magical adventures with lovable Jax and company. (Urban fantasy. 7-10)

Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5247-7049-5

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019

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