A lively, culturally grounded adventure likely to hook fantasy fans.
A young girl becomes an unlikely hero.
In the kingdom of Van Lang (modeled after Vietnam), every child’s 10th birthday brings a life-shaping ritual: a visit to the Choosing Place, where an animal ally bonds with them for life. Once each generation, four creatures choose children destined to become the Legendary Allies Team. These protectors are tasked with confronting the lingering harms of the long-past Dark Times, including climate issues, war, and cultural erasure. Mai, an anxious girl preoccupied with her mother’s fragile health, hardly expects to be chosen. Yet she bonds with Ruby, a baby phoenix, one of the rare Legendary animals. In training to become a Healer, Mai joins two other newly chosen children and their powerful allies (the identity of the fourth youngster has yet to be revealed). Doubts plague Mai, personalities clash, and tempers flare as the fledgling heroes prepare for their first quest—all broadcast on the Legendary Allies Team channel. The brisk pacing and clearly defined stakes often outstrip deeper character development, but the momentum will keep the pages turning. Manga-style illustrations rich with Vietnamese motifs add warmth and visual clarity, especially in depicting imaginative ailments, like the “heart sickness” that comes from forgetting one’s cultural roots. Inclusive touches (Mai’s family has two mothers; some characters use they/them pronouns) are seamlessly woven into the narrative.
A lively, culturally grounded adventure likely to hook fantasy fans. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781834020693
Page Count: 172
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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