Perfect for fans of Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid. Thank goodness sequels are planned.
Sixth grader Nate Wright doesn’t excel in much at P.S.38.
He’s not as smart as his best friend Francis nor as lamely funny as his other best friend Teddy, and he’s certainly not (unfortunately) successful at everything, like his annoying older sister Ellen. So when Teddy slips Nate a fortune cookie and the fortune reads “Today you will surpass all others,” Nate is stoked. Just how will he surpass all others? Every time he tries anything—like making grumpy Mr. Gavin laugh or breaking the speed-eating world record by snarfing down a mountain of slimy green beans—he ends up getting detention. This really seems more like a candidate for Worst Day Ever! Peirce skillfully and often hilariously imports his comic-strip character into a full-length story. The many comic strips, some drawn by Nate on lined paper and others featuring him as a character, and copious spot illustrations move the story along to a conclusion some may see coming but all will enjoy.
Perfect for fans of Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid. Thank goodness sequels are planned. (Final art not seen.) (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-11)Pub Date: April 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-194434-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2010
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Sure to please fans of magical boarding school adventures.
A young witch searches for her missing aunt while attending her first year of magic school.
Spella De-broom Cauldroneyes, who’s just turned 8 and has bright blue freckles, was found as a baby by Mathilda Cauldroneyes, a green-skinned magical milliner. Also living in their house in Hungry Snout Forest are many anthropomorphic hats, from miniscule fairy hats to a giant hat that solves jigsaw puzzles. When Spella receives an invitation to attend Dragon’s Knob, a school for wand magic, she initially resists, not wanting to leave her beloved home. But when Aunt Cauldroneyes disappears into the maw of a hat that was dropped off for repairs by a mysterious wizard, Spella travels to the school in search of answers. Once there, she befriends a boy named Tolden Tutters, who uses a tiny dragon as a hearing aid, and studies topics such as the ancient languages of unicorns, all while trying to find information on her aunt’s whereabouts. This series opener is bursting at the seams with charming details such as cauldron-shaped windows and chocolate-flavored curtains. The characterization and plot development sometimes take a back seat to worldbuilding, but there’s enough action to keep readers invested in Spella’s quest to find her guardian, and the sheer charm of Spella’s world will win over fantasy lovers. Rubio’s spot art adds to the sense of whimsy.
Sure to please fans of magical boarding school adventures. (Fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9781665955317
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
Though the lessons weigh more heavily than in The One and Only Ivan, a potential disappointment to its fans, the story is...
Applegate tackles homelessness in her first novel since 2013 Newbery winner The One and Only Ivan.
Hunger is a constant for soon-to-be fifth-grader Jackson and his family, and the accompanying dizziness may be why his imaginary friend is back. A giant cat named Crenshaw first appeared after Jackson finished first grade, when his parents moved the family into their minivan for several months. Now they’re facing eviction again, and Jackson’s afraid that he won’t be going to school next year with his friend Marisol. When Crenshaw shows up on a surfboard, Jackson, an aspiring scientist who likes facts, wonders whether Crenshaw is real or a figment of his imagination. Jackson’s first-person narrative moves from the present day, when he wishes that his parents understood that he’s old enough to hear the truth about the family’s finances, to the first time they were homeless and back to the present. The structure allows readers access to the slow buildup of Jackson’s panic and his need for a friend and stability in his life. Crenshaw tells Jackson that “Imaginary friends don’t come of their own volition. We are invited. We stay as long as we’re needed.” The cat’s voice, with its adult tone, is the conduit for the novel’s lessons: “You need to tell the truth, my friend….To the person who matters most of all.”
Though the lessons weigh more heavily than in The One and Only Ivan, a potential disappointment to its fans, the story is nevertheless a somberly affecting one . (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-04323-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
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