Lighthearted, if somewhat meandering, adventures of a determined petsitter.
A girl navigates the workday stressors of being the new kid at school, running her own petsitting business, and becoming a teenager in Braband’s middle-grade chapter-book sequel.
Chicago-based Libby Lancaster is about to turn 13, and she’s nervous. Her estranged parents have recently reconciled, and she’ll start eighth grade in the fall as “the new kid” in a new school. The main constant in her life is her successful pet-sitting service for tenants in her family’s apartment building; it provides an outlet when her anxieties become overwhelming. Summer concludes with a surprise 13th birthday party, and then Libby begins middle school. Her teacher is delightfully quirky and has modern ideas about education (on Fridays, for instance, the students become the teachers). But as Libby’s school workload grows, so does her business, which includes caring for a cat that her vice principal secretly keeps in his office and a few additional dogs to walk at home. Although she starts the year with every intention of successfully juggling school, work, and her home life, she begins to struggle. The promise of a “new addition” to the family brings more excitement and trepidation—but it may not be the new pet that Libby’s hoping for. Libby’s story is upbeat and easygoing, with a sense of humor that often falls into dad-joke territory: “If just anyone speaks off the cuff, then they adlib. But when I do it, it’s ‘Ad-libbying.’” However, given her age, Libby’s naïveté regarding a new romance and her mother’s pregnancy is confounding. The adults in Libby’s world are often irresponsible, immature, and even borderline creepy, as in the case of an omnipresent building superintendent who gives Libby a clubhouse as a gift, which only she and he know how to access; this makes for uncomfortable reading at times. In addition, trivial matters sometimes bury important plot points, and a cliffhanger ending may leave readers feeling rudderless.
Lighthearted, if somewhat meandering, adventures of a determined petsitter.Pub Date: Dec. 19, 2024
ISBN: 9798890917959
Page Count: 162
Publisher: ReadersMagnet LLC
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available.
A ghost learns to appreciate his differences.
The little ghost protagonist of this title is unusual. He’s a quilt, not a lightweight sheet like his parents and friends. He dislikes being different despite his mom’s reassurance that his ancestors also had unconventional appearances. Halloween makes the little ghost happy, though. He decides to watch trick-or-treaters by draping over a porch chair—but lands on a porch rail instead. A mom accompanying her daughter picks him up, wraps him around her chilly daughter, and brings him home with them! The family likes his looks and comforting warmth, and the little ghost immediately feels better about himself. As soon as he’s able to, he flies out through the chimney and muses happily that this adventure happened only due to his being a quilt. This odd but gently told story conveys the importance of self-respect and acceptance of one’s uniqueness. The delivery of this positive message has something of a heavy-handed feel and is rushed besides. It also isn’t entirely logical: The protagonist could have been a different type of covering; a blanket, for instance, might have enjoyed an identical experience. The soft, pleasing illustrations’ palette of tans, grays, white, black, some touches of color, and, occasionally, white text against black backgrounds suggest isolation, such as the ghost feels about himself. Most humans, including the trick-or-treating mom and daughter, have beige skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 66.2% of actual size.)
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6447-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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