A solid, entertaining and thoughtful fantasy tale, aside from a few small hitches.
MacLaine’s debut novel delivers a new twist on an old classic, complete with pirates, dragons, pixies, childhood adventure and a twee fairyland.
Peter Pan long ago left the Neverland, grew up, grew old and died. His former companion, Tinkerbell, never forgave this betrayal; after renaming herself “Belle,” she departed the Neverland as well. Now the enchanted place is in the hands of Cap’n Hook’s successor, the merciless Capt. Li’l Jack, and his dread dragon, Sincoraz. If Belle wants to save the Neverland, she’s going to need the help of Peter Pan’s heir, Piper Pizzinni, who’s unknowingly his granddaughter. Piper is in the foster system, where her life hasn’t been conducive to the happy thoughts she’ll need in the coming struggle. With the help of some other “Lost Girls” (foster kids who refer to themselves as “the Lifers”), Piper joins the mission to save the Neverland, although she and Belle will have to overcome their differences to do so. MacLaine does an admirable job of capturing the feel of a classic children’s adventure novel, with genuine touches of magic and adventure throughout. The characters, however, keep the story grounded. Piper, in particular, is a strong, relatable protagonist motivated by the disappearance of her parents but not solely defined by it. The author’s depiction of Belle shows what might happen if the somewhat vain Tinkerbell had to truly face losing Peter forever. The story might have benefited from even more thoughtful, direct interactions with the source material; unfortunately, the book ends with jarring abruptness and little resolution, although this may be remedied by future books in the series.
A solid, entertaining and thoughtful fantasy tale, aside from a few small hitches.Pub Date: March 12, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9898692-7-0
Page Count: 188
Publisher: Artisan Bookworks
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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