The half-human hero of MapHead (1994, not reviewed) returns in this moving but convoluted sequel. MapHead—so named because of his ability to depict geographical maps on his bald head by altering his pigmentation at will—finds himself alone in the world for the next seven years. Only then, after learning how to control his superhuman talents (telepathy, teleportation) will he be reunited with his father, Powers. But when MapHead befriends young Jack Stamp and forms a psychic link with him, the connection inadvertently pushes Jack into trouble: Soon, he's cutting school and getting beaten up. While MapHead's powers are sufficient to trick Jack's bewildered parents into believing the bald, elfin, unworldly-looking child is just another schoolboy, they aren't enough to rescue his friend. Several serpentine plot twists later, Jack realizes the error of his ways, saves his baby sister's life, and makes up with his parents, while MapHead gains a more mature understanding of his effect on human affairs. Although Howarth's main character is a likable grotesque, her plotting is not as confident as it usually is. Nevertheless, fans who don't find the Briticisms a stumbling block will be glad MapHead is back for a new adventure. (Fiction. 12-15)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-7636-0344-9
Page Count: 237
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
Ute teenager Cloyd Atcitty undertakes a spirit journey while caring for the last two grizzly cubs in the Colorado wilderness. Still smarting from his part in the death of the great bear in Bearstone (1989), Cloyd heads for the hills with old prospector Walter Landis, searching for a fabled gold mine. Hearing a rumor of another grizzly sighting, Cloyd excitedly goes off on his own; with the help of a naturalist who calls herself ``Ursa'' and fills him with bear lore, he finds a female and three cubs. Tragedy strikes when the mother and one cub die in an avalanche; to keep game wardens from removing the survivors to captivity, Cloyd dons the mother's pelt and lures the cubs deeper into the wild. Teaching them to survive and prepare for hibernation becomes a grueling rite of passage, but Cloyd gets through, finding food, shelter, and even the gold mine thanks to helpers both human and visionary. With a sturdy conservation message, a survival story that will find a ready audience in Gary Paulsen and Jean Craighead George fans. (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1993
ISBN: 0-689-31867-7
Page Count: 198
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1993
Five macabre tales of murder or suicide victims returning to exact gruesome retribution: Bernard conceals the body of the pregnant local teenager he's killed beneath a huge bonfire, only to have a ``Burning Baby'' crawl out of the fire's heart and into his lap; a corpse rises to drag its murderer ``Under the Ice'' of a frozen fen; a retired schoolteacher feeds her illegitimate granddaughter to the ``Eels'' in a canal—and the favor is returned (``When the sun came up and filled the room with warmth, Miss Jervis lay quite still. Her nightgown, however, heaved with a life of its own''). Gordon's writing is simple and unforced; he describes his ghastlies with a deft precision that will leave readers shivering—and eager for more. For stout hearts only. (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1993
ISBN: 1-56402-067-3
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1993
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