Can half-mermaid Emily rely upon her friends to help her find the source of Neptune’s nightmares? Will they be able to unravel the mystery of his memories before an evil threat takes over the waters?
Kessler’s fifth installment in this popular series continues with a successful mix of fantasy, mystery, adventure and a touch of romance. Emily and boyfriend Aaron are summoned by Neptune to embark on a quest that is “extremely important, extremely secret…and extremely dangerous.” With only snippets of dreams as clues, they set off north to the Arctic in search of a lake surrounded by mountains and a glacier—“a place filled with secrets and magic…and fear.” Soon they encounter underwater bubbles filled with memories, discover a frozen yet thawing twin brother of Neptune, meet a wise narwhal and confront their leader with the truth. The dialogue is quick and the action even quicker as the plot twists and turns in unexpected ways. Questions of trust dominate, as many characters are faced with difficult decisions. Can Millie trust the love of her life even though he has been acting oddly? Can Emily count on her best friend, whom she has neglected, to keep a secret? Can Neptune believe his brother Njord truly wants to reunite and rule the oceans together?
The unexpected ending will surely satisfy as a fitting close to this light page turner. Past fans of the series should especially enjoy diving in. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5824-3
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2013
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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 20, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION
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At a time when death has become an acceptable, even voguish subject in children's fiction, Natalie Babbitt comes through with a stylistic gem about living forever.
Protected Winnie, the ten-year-old heroine, is not immortal, but when she comes upon young Jesse Tuck drinking from a secret spring in her parents' woods, she finds herself involved with a family who, having innocently drunk the same water some 87 years earlier, haven't aged a moment since. Though the mood is delicate, there is no lack of action, with the Tucks (previously suspected of witchcraft) now pursued for kidnapping Winnie; Mae Tuck, the middle aged mother, striking and killing a stranger who is onto their secret and would sell the water; and Winnie taking Mae's place in prison so that the Tucks can get away before she is hanged from the neck until....? Though Babbitt makes the family a sad one, most of their reasons for discontent are circumstantial and there isn't a great deal of wisdom to be gleaned from their fate or Winnie's decision not to share it.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1975
ISBN: 0312369816
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1975
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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