This is the second half of the famed director’s children’s fantasy that began with Arthur and the Minimoys (p. 535). It is very bad indeed; however, attention must be paid, because Besson is making a movie of it, voiced by people like Madonna and David Bowie. The mishmash of a plot is matched by extraordinarily clichéd writing—blood runs cold, all is lost, panic in the street, and on and on. Arthur, the ten-year-old hero, is miniaturized and under the garden of his grandmother’s house, trying to save the Minimoys who live there from the evil Maltazard. In addition, he must rescue his anthropologist grandfather, and keep his grandmother’s house from their evil landlord Davido. He is helped in his mission by Selenia, princess of the Minimoys. (She chooses him to be her king and seals their union by a kiss in the way of Minimoys; what this means for ten-year-olds can only be answered by the mind of the man who created The Fifth Element). Others aiding in the quest include her brother, a mole and Arthur’s rescued grandfather. Genuinely, entirely and irredeemably awful and rescued by not a shred of imagination or delight. (Fantasy. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-059626-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2005
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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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A Black girl embarks on an unprecedented journey to tap deeper into her magic.
Ella Durand is an 11-year-old from New Orleans, where she lives with her conjure-politician father, notorious Conjuror mother, grandmother, and little sister, Winnie. Ella makes history as the first Conjuror to be accepted into the Arcanum Training Institute, where she can learn to become a Marveller. Ella is eager to discover her marvel and to find out more about a type of magic so different from what she has grown up with, but integrating into this new school turns out to be harder than she hoped. Fortunately, she makes new friends, Jason and Brigit, who help her better navigate life at the school. After Ella’s family becomes embroiled in controversy due to allegations of their connection to an infamous escaped criminal and her teacher and mentor, Masterji Thakur, goes missing, she needs her friends’ help to help set things right. Clayton does a wonderful job with skillful worldbuilding that is bolstered by vivid, detailed descriptions and smart, witty prose, and readers will be swept up in the magic. The novel celebrates the diverse peoples and customs that make up Ella’s world. Parallels between the world of the Marvellers and real-world history around discrimination, privilege, marginalization, and stereotyping are clear without being heavy-handed. A charming cast and captivating storylines make this a breath of fresh air.
An enthralling fantasy adventure full of bravery, love, and humor. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: May 3, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-17494-9
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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