Following her father’s abduction by the nefarious Dr. Gray at the end of Going Wild (2016), Charlie Wilde and her friends must hone their animal-inspired powers to rescue him.
Undeterred by the kidnapping, the Wilde family partners up with a scientist who formerly worked alongside Mr. Wilde on a top-secret government project code-named Project Chimera. As she learns about her father’s past, as well as the extent of Dr. Gray’s horrifying plans to further develop his human-animal–hybrid research, the white girl starts to master the animal powers her bracelet grants her. Building on the firm foundation of Book 1, McMann continues to excel at creating likable characters and a surprising amount of emotional heft. Though Charlie’s friends Latina Maria and Mac, who is black, have super bracelets now, new problems arise when Maria’s bracelet turns her part-monkey. Meanwhile, Charlie’s tense relationship with her “sort-of friend” Kelly, a strong-headed white girl with an unpredictable agenda, grows uneasy. Like its predecessor, this sequel features often unengaging action sequences, and the novel’s middle portion (mostly stakeouts involving insect robots and training montages) is weirdly drawn out. As a result, Mr. Wilde’s inevitable rescue and Charlie and Co.’s showdown with Dr. Gray seem abrupt if welcome. Still, fans of Book 1 will enjoy what’s here: a diverse cast of returning and new characters, a group of winsome heroes saving the day, and the promise of even more danger in Book 3.
This series keeps getting wilder and, more importantly, better. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-233717-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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In this follow-up to 2020’s The One and Only Bob, Ruby the elephant is still living at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary.
She’s apprehensive about her Tuskday, a rite of passage for young elephants when she’ll give a speech in front of the rest of the herd. Luckily, she can confide in her Uncle Ivan, who is next door in Gorilla World, and Uncle Bob, the dog who lives nearby with human friend Julia. Ruby was born in an unspecified part of Africa, later ending up on display in the mall, where she met Ivan, Bob, and Julia. The unexpected arrival of someone from Ruby’s past life on the savanna revives memories both warmly nostalgic and deeply traumatic. An elephant glossary and Castelao’s charming, illustrated guide to elephant body language help immerse readers in Ruby’s world. Goofy, playful, and mischievous Ruby is fully dimensional, as she has shown her bravery during the many hardships of her young life. Applegate deftly tempers themes of grief and loss with compassion and humor as Ruby finds her place in the herd. The author’s note touches on climate change, the illegal ivory trade, and conservation efforts, but the highly emotive framing of the story through the memories of a bewildered baby elephant emphasizes the impact of lines such as “ ‘in Africa,’ I say softly, ‘there were bad people,’ ” without offering readers a nuanced understanding of the broader context that drives poaching.
Certain to steal hearts. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780063080089
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION
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