Pretty—but hampered by the wordy text.
Fox and Dodge have been rocketing back and forth to the moon for some time now, but this trip will be special—they will leave a fort behind. However, when the building gets tough, it takes a little wisdom and some “crazy dance moves” from big brother Fox to help get the job done. When the pair proudly arrives home and mom wonders about the odds and ends that have mysteriously disappeared, they share a secret glance and an answer: “outer space.” There’s lots of warm, child-friendly character as the brothers make “moon angels” and use old car seats as a cockpit, but the way the narrative tries to straddle the line between imaginary journey and fantasy isn’t quite successful. With a lengthy, meandering text, it’s too long for little ones who might still believe the moon can be reached by homemade rocket, and older children who can sit through a reading may find the “did it really happen” concept trite. The earnest message that perseverance pays off edges uncomfortably into life-lesson territory. Still, the luscious watercolors that capture snug domestic scenes, the frantic, tumultuous fort-building sequence, and, most especially, the sweeping double-page spreads of the velvety, star-filled night sky are worth a look. The kids are racially ambiguous, with beige skin and dark hair.
Pretty—but hampered by the wordy text. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4657-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
A gentle adventure that sets the stage for future quests.
A lonely prince gains a friend for a quest to find a missing jewel.
Prince Lucas of Wrenly has everything a boy could possibly want—except a friend. His father has forbidden him to play with the village children for reasons of propriety. Adventure-seeking Lucas acquires peasant clothes to masquerade as a commoner and make friends, but he is caught out. His mother, the queen, persuades the king to allow him one friend: Clara, the daughter of her personal dressmaker. When the queen’s prized emerald pendant goes missing, Lucas and Clara set off to find it. They follow the jewel as it changes hands, interviewing each temporary owner. Their adventure cleverly introduces the series’ world and peoples, taking the children to the fairy island of Primlox, the trolls’ home of Burth, the wizard island of Hobsgrove and finally Mermaid’s Cove. By befriending the mermaids, Lucas and Clara finally recover the jewel. In thanks, the king gives Clara a horse of her own so that she may ride with Lucas on their future adventures. The third-person narration is generally unobtrusive, allowing the characters to take center stage. The charming, medieval-flavored illustrations set the fairy-tale scene and take up enough page space that new and reluctant readers won’t be overwhelmed by text.
A gentle adventure that sets the stage for future quests. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-9691-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
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