The only thing that materially distinguishes Tom Gates from Greg Heffley and his legions of pretenders is his accent; some...
That wimpy kid from across the pond returns in a sequel to The Brilliant World of Tom Gates (2014).
The pleasure of a two-week school vacation is only somewhat blunted by Tom's need to make up the homework so tragically “eaten” before the holiday. After a few mulligans, Tom is at liberty to go to his mate Derek's and rehearse with the up-and-coming rock sensation DogZombies. Since they need a drummer for "Wild Thing," the band mates decide to audition one as soon as school resumes. Cartoon-punctuated high jinks ensue. Tom must cope with an epic toothache (eating sweets occupies much of his narrative), his and Derek's brief stint in the school band (the members of which play recycled instruments with great accomplishment, unlike the DogZombies), new trio DogZombies' debut at Tom's granddad's retirement home, and his teacher's irritating insistence that he do his homework properly. Also his nemeses, goth sister Delia and class suck-up Marcus Meldrew. Like his Yank counterpart, Tom's narrative is episodic, rambling, and only unevenly funny. Tom's doodles are appealing, though, particularly the unsmiling, sunglasses-clad face of sister Delia, repeated whenever her name appears throughout. An appended glossary unpacks such British mysteries as "biscuit" and "dodgy."
The only thing that materially distinguishes Tom Gates from Greg Heffley and his legions of pretenders is his accent; some readers may feel that's good enough. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: May 12, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7474-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
A sympathetic, compelling introduction to wolves from the perspective of one wolf and his memorable journey.
Separated from his pack, Swift, a young wolf, embarks on a perilous search for a new home.
Swift’s mother impresses on him early that his “pack belongs to the mountains and the mountains belong to the pack.” His father teaches him to hunt elk, avoid skunks and porcupines, revere the life that gives them life, and “carry on” when their pack is devastated in an attack by enemy wolves. Alone and grieving, Swift reluctantly leaves his mountain home. Crossing into unfamiliar territory, he’s injured and nearly dies, but the need to run, hunt, and live drives him on. Following a routine of “walk-trot-eat-rest,” Swift traverses prairies, canyons, and deserts, encountering men with rifles, hunger, thirst, highways, wild horses, a cougar, and a forest fire. Never imagining the “world could be so big or that I could be so alone in it,” Swift renames himself Wander as he reaches new mountains and finds a new home. Rife with details of the myriad scents, sounds, tastes, touches, and sights in Swift/Wander’s primal existence, the immediacy of his intimate, first-person, present-tense narration proves deeply moving, especially his longing for companionship. Realistic black-and-white illustrations trace key events in this unique survival story, and extensive backmatter fills in further factual information about wolves and their habitat.
A sympathetic, compelling introduction to wolves from the perspective of one wolf and his memorable journey. (additional resources, map) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-289593-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
Highly amusing.
The incompetent parents from The Willoughbys (2008) find themselves thawed by global warming.
Henry and Frances haven’t aged since the accident that buried them in snow and froze them for 30 years in the Swiss Alps. Their Rip van Winkle–ish return is archly comedic, with the pair, a medical miracle, realizing (at last!) how much they’ve lost and how baffled they are now. Meanwhile, their eldest son, Tim, is grown and in charge of his adoptive father’s candy empire, now threatened with destitution by a congressional ban on candy (opposed by an unnamed Bernie Sanders). He is father to 11-year-old Richie, who employs ad-speak whenever he talks about his newest toys, like a remote-controlled car (“The iconic Lamborghini bull adorns the hubcaps and hood”). But Richie envies Winston Poore, the very poor boy next door, who has a toy car carved for him by his itinerant encyclopedia-salesman father. Winston and his sister, Winifred, plan to earn money for essentials by offering their services as companions to lonely Richie while their mother dabbles, spectacularly unsuccessfully, in running a B&B. Lowry’s exaggerated characters and breezy, unlikely plot are highly entertaining. She offers humorous commentary both via footnotes advising readers of odd facts related to the narrative and via Henry and Frances’ reentry challenges. The threads of the story, with various tales of parents gone missing, fortunes lost or never found, and good luck in the end, are gathered most satisfactorily and warmheartedly.
Highly amusing. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-358-42389-8
Page Count: 176
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
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