A feel-good kids’ book with just the right touch of adventure.
The power of friendship draws a timid mouse into the wider world in the Schnetzlers’ warm debut fantasy.
Ambrose is a meticulous rodent who’s sure to notice anything that’s even slightly out of place in the horse barn where he makes his home. He’s mystified when he sees the shadowy figure of a gold-colored mouse during one of his daily barn inspections, and he vows to discover the identity of the mysterious creature. He soon discovers that it’s a young female mouse named Annabelle, and she becomes fast friends with Ambrose and his fumbling sidekick, Hubbard. After their friendship is firmly established, they go on a series of adventures. Whether they’re rescuing a friendly horse named Captain Jack or saving Hubbard from a nasty black horse named Midnight, the trio soon proves that it can overcome whatever perils the barn can throw at them. When Annabelle eventually convinces Ambrose to explore the world outside the stable, he can’t shake the feeling that something is about to go wrong. Indeed, the hero may be in for his biggest challenges yet. Soon, the three friends find themselves trying to help Captain Jack as he races against Midnight, and the outcome is anything but certain. This pleasantly paced tale is packed with satisfying adventures and plenty of action for young readers. The microcosm of Ambrose’s barn feels large and exciting when told from a mouse’s perspective, and kids will enjoy exploring the well-developed world that the various animals inhabit. The creatures’ heartwarming, believable friendship also adds to this fun-filled, whimsical narrative. Overall, the authors deliver a story that’s sure to please elementary- and middle-grade children.
A feel-good kids’ book with just the right touch of adventure.Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-1490952918
Page Count: 198
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read...
When a lock-in becomes a reality game, 12-year-old Kyle Keeley and his friends use library resources to find their way out of Alexandriaville’s new public library.
The author of numerous mysteries for children and adults turns his hand to a puzzle adventure with great success. Starting with the premise that billionaire game-maker Luigi Lemoncello has donated a fortune to building a library in a town that went without for 12 years, Grabenstein cleverly uses the tools of board and video games—hints and tricks and escape hatches—to enhance this intricate and suspenseful story. Twelve 12-year-old winners of an essay contest get to be the first to see the new facility and, as a bonus, to play his new escape game. Lemoncello’s gratitude to the library of his childhood extends to providing a helpful holographic image of his 1968 librarian, but his modern version also includes changing video screens, touch-screen computers in the reading desks and an Electronic Learning Center as well as floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stretching up three stories. Although the characters, from gamer Kyle to schemer Charles Chiltington, are lightly developed, the benefits of pooling strengths to work together are clear.
Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read is a winner for readers and game-players alike. (Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-87089-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
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Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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