A cool addition to a magical children’ series that helps readers explore animals and nature.
Arctic adventure awaits in Cherry’s third installment of the Erutuf National Park series for children.
After receiving a mysterious email from a subscription service called “Polar Post,” siblings Reese and Dean Walters (who are 10 and 8 years old, respectively) are transported from their room in a whirl of colors and music to a white, snow-covered landscape. Ecstatic, Reese and Dean realize they are back in Erutuf National Park, a magical expanse of many different habitats where they’ve previously had adventures befriending a talking sea turtle and bison and battling pirates. Unlike previous visits, however, this time Reese and Dean’s golden retriever Tutu has made the trip with them, and she wastes no time communicating with them via the mystical power of the national park: “Do you have any treats? Treats, please. I’m a good girl!” After exploring their surroundings, Reese, Dean, and Tutu discover a bunker where a polar bear and card-trick enthusiast named Tyler gives them a new mission: Find the special magic map of Erutuf’s arctic habitat and relocate it to a new hiding spot away from the pirates. To complete their mission, Reese, Dean, and Tutu must navigate a winding ice maze, visit the observatory of an ice palace, and explore a library with special books made of ice—all while avoiding the pirates, who happen to be posing as influencers documenting their trip to the park. This addition to the Erutuf National Park series is a fun adventure with a unique environmental angle and contemporary dangers like climate change and social media. Dean’s puns and love of books butt up against Reese’s logical mind for mathematics to create an enjoyable sibling dynamic that’s only heightened as their instincts to protect and comfort each other come to the fore in the more thrilling parts of the narrative. The animal characters’ quirks, like Ty the polar bear’s magic tricks and Tutu’s mania for treats and making new friends, add lively humor to the proceedings.
A cool addition to a magical children’ series that helps readers explore animals and nature.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9798987923146
Page Count: 156
Publisher: Grand Sunshine Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 19, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Heartwarming fare for young pet owners who feel the love and loyalty going both ways.
Devotion permeates this tale of a small dog who’s swept up in a peasants’ revolt against a greedy king.
Inflamed with righteousness in the wake of yet another tax hike, 12-year-old Tom has defied his parents to slip away and join the revolutionary Reds. Stoutly declaring that he’s a good dog, 5-year-old Rebel chases after him to bring his beloved boy back—and discovers a wide new world beyond the farm, fraught with dangers but also rich in animal friends offering help and advice. Just as beguiling as the furry narrator’s dog’s-eye view of events are his ongoing arguments with Jaxon, a gruff feral hound he meets along the way, who urges him to find his wild inner True Dog. Jaxon’s refusal to be bound by emotional attachments ultimately clashes with Rebel’s big, uncomplicated heart. Following a brush with death, Rebel encounters a mystical Companion, who offers him glimpses of dog heaven; when the climactic battle arrives, Rebel declares, “I get to decide what I do with my one and only life. And if I use it for anything, I’m going to use it for love.” The author brings the odyssey to a satisfactory conclusion with one last, pure affirmation of love. In this story set in an alternate Britain reminiscent of its 17th-century Civil War, Rebel distinguishes humans in the cast by their voices, smell, and dress.
Heartwarming fare for young pet owners who feel the love and loyalty going both ways. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781536246797
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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