Readers will remain intrigued through the final curtain of this frightfully fun tale.
In Book 3 of the Babysitting Nightmares series, it’s Maggie Anderson’s turn in the spotlight.
Locals say the old Twilight Theater is cursed, but that doesn’t stop the 13-year-old aspiring actress from taking her first babysitting job looking after the daughter of the performer with the role of Lady Macbeth. When unexplainable events occur during rehearsals for the “Scottish play,” Maggie wonders if the theater really is cursed, but she’s hesitant to tell her friends about the unsettling happenings; they might think she’s an incompetent babysitter. Can Maggie handle the ghostly lady in red alone, or will she swallow her pride and ask for help? Observant readers will catch possible foreshadowing for the fourth book. Theater superstitions add intrigue: Never say “Macbeth” aloud in a theater unless you’re performing it; the ghost light must remain on when the theater is dark; and never wish an actor “good luck.” The story itself is engaging, but the handful of emotionless, flat black-and-white illustrations don’t add much value. Knowledge of the previous books isn’t necessary, but readers who like this one will want to pick up the first two for more chills and thrills. Artwork shows Maggie as white. Her friends are casually diverse: Tanya Martinez is implied Latinx; Rebecca Chin is implied Chinese; and Clio Carter-Peterson presents black.
Readers will remain intrigued through the final curtain of this frightfully fun tale. (Thriller. 8-13)Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-15701-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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
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