A fun fantasy romp.
Hogwarts is a school for wizards. Pilfer Academy is a school for thieves.
As one of six children, “Naughty George” is well-practiced at lifting things that are not his. His sister’s diary, his brother’s comic books, and anyone’s dollar bills attract his sticky fingers. But when George himself is kidnapped by Pilfer Academy, a whole new world of thievery begins. As the newest student of this secret school, George becomes the star pupil of an academy that trains crooks and criminals. Taught by completely absurd teachers and surrounded by sneaky and amoral classmates, George must find his way through Stealth 101, Practical Applications of Breaking and Entering, and Intro to Gadgetry. Does he have what it takes to stay at the top of his class? Following The Only Thing Worse than Witches (2014), Magaziner creates another weird and silly world that mirrors Hogwarts without the magic. The allure of bad behavior permeates the story, like the midnight theft of the teacher’s stash of Triple-dipple Ultra-deluxe Melty Creamy Creamer Rainbow Swizzle Milk Munch ice cream. Although the story’s obvious contrast between friend and foe steers the audience to younger middle graders, the universal struggle to learn to trust a new friend will appeal to many. The midterm exam becomes the true test of George’s success. Is he just too nice to be a thief?
A fun fantasy romp. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3919-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
“I’m honestly not sure how I ended up outside with a ladder, a cat, and a bag of road salt.” Bookish sixth-grader Magnolia, called Maggie, straddles that spot between childhood and being a teenager. She believes in witches, gargoyles and dragons, and, over and over, her imagination causes her friends to ask, “How do you come up with these ideas? The well-meaning girl explores her Bloor Street (Toronto) neighborhood with best friend Sasha while avoiding her nemesis, Jarrett Johnson. After bravely entering a “haunted house” (really a tattoo parlor), Maggie is convinced that its proprietor is a witch who has cast a spell on her. Her bad luck rains down in buckets, and Maggie tries all sorts of crazy curse-reversing cures before doing what she should have done in the first place. Maggie’s understanding teacher, Mrs. Fedorchuk, whose e-mails begin each chapter, gently nudges Maggie to find what she is best at. The rich cast of secondary characters, including Maggie’s parents and small circle of understanding friends, help flesh out this satisfying story, which is told in Maggie's humorous, self-deprecating voice. Because Maggie is a particularly innocent sixth grader, readers as young as third grade can enjoy this window into the middle-school world and will hope to have friends like Magnolia and Sasha. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55277-536-3
Page Count: 120
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
A familiar story skillfully reimagined for today’s gadget-savvy youth.
Hannah Hadley is a young special agent who must thwart a clear and present danger to the United States in Hoover’s “smart is cool” young adult novel.
Hannah Hadley might seem like most 13-year-old girls. She enjoys painting, playing with her MP3 player and spending time with friends. But that’s where the similarities end. Hadley doubles as Agent 10-1, among the youngest spies drafted into the CIA’s Div Y department. She’s joined in her missions by her 10-pound Shih Tzu, Kiwi (with whom she communicates telepathically), and her best friend Tommie Claire, a blind girl with heightened senses. When duty calls, the group sneaks to a hidden command center located under the floor of Hadley’s art studio. Her current mission, aptly named “Operation Farmer Jones,” takes her to a secluded farmhouse in Canada. There, al-Qaida terrorists have gathered the necessary ingredients for a particularly devastating nuclear warhead that they intend to fire into America. The villains are joined by the Mad Madam of Mayhem, a physicist for hire whom the terrorists force to complete the weapon of mass destruction. With Charlie Higson’s Young James Bond series and the ongoing 39 Clues novellas, covert missions and secret plans are the plots of choice in much of today’s fiction for young readers, and references to the famed 007 stories abound in Hoover’s tale. But while the plot feels familiar, Hoover’s use of modern slang—albeit strained at times—and gadgets such as the iTouch appeal to today’s youth. Placing girls in adult situations has been a mainstay since Mildred Wirt Benson first introduced readers to Nancy Drew in The Secret of the Old Clock, but Hannah Hadley is like Nancy Drew on steroids. Both are athletic, score well in their studies and have a measure of popularity. Hadley, however, displays a genius-level intellect and near superhuman abilities in her efforts to roust the terrorists—handy skills for a young teen spy who just so happens to get the best grades in school.
A familiar story skillfully reimagined for today’s gadget-savvy youth.Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-0615419688
Page Count: 239
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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