The sweet storyline, appealing characters and just the right touch of magic make this an endearing series for new,...
Maddy Lloyd and her ceramic cats are back, this time solving a problem close to home (Shadow Magic, 2011).
Maddy and Rachel are anxious about the ballet tryouts for The Nutcracker. Their favorite ballerina, Snow Bradley, is going to be the Sugarplum Fairy, and all the girls just know that Maddy will be chosen as Clara. Rachel dances too, but she suffers from such stage fright that it’s clear that she is about to give up—which is a shame, because she is quite a dancer when she is alone. Ollie, the third ceramic cat, soon comes to life. Ollie is all vanity, but he has an author’s gift for dramatic tension, even keeping his mission secret until absolutely necessary. Part of a series, the book’s formula is clear: The tiny cat can switch back and forth from ceramic to flesh, understands the problem and can make humans change their behavior. When Rachel ends up summoning her skills and courage, Maddy has to face the fact that her place as the best dancer in the troupe is no longer secure, and her response almost costs the girls their friendship. The British vocabulary and spelling (practise, tetchily, panto and strop, for instance) add a level of challenge to a book for children just transitioning from beginning readers.
The sweet storyline, appealing characters and just the right touch of magic make this an endearing series for new, cat-loving readers who are ready for a little bit of adventure in their vocabulary. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-385-75212-1
Page Count: 208
Publisher: David Fickling/Random
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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