by Marina Cohen ; illustrated by Yana Bogatch ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 28, 2019
A suspenseful mystery with haunting touches of fairy-tale magic.
A skeptical girl who distrusts stories discovers their value when she’s trapped in the middle of one.
The rules of logic and facts shape 12-year-old Kallie’s predictable life until she finds herself in possession of a mysterious puzzle box. Unlocking the box unleashes a set of “bewitched” bones with strange symbols on them that entangle Kallie in a story beyond her control. Throughout her journey, Kallie questions the nature of the possible and impossible as she seeks out scientific explanations for her problems from her best friend, Pole Rodriguez (the only primary character who isn’t presumed white), and the missing pieces of truth about the death of her writer mother. Anna, a new student with a wild imagination, challenges Kallie with the fanciful tales she tells about her life and helps her learn that stories provide comfort from reality even if they aren’t based in fact. Three grayscale illustrations with dark lines accompany the text in moments that correspond to the stages of the hero’s journey, which Kallie learns about in her English class. Cohen weaves together Kallie’s story with a fairy tale that follows Liah, a bone carver’s apprentice. Liah’s adventure increases the tension, builds momentum, and darkens the tone of the overall story.
A suspenseful mystery with haunting touches of fairy-tale magic. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: May 28, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-17221-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 5, 2020
With Ivan’s movie out this year from Disney, expect great interest—it will be richly rewarded.
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New York Times Bestseller
IndieBound Bestseller
Tiny, sassy Bob the dog, friend of The One and Only Ivan(2012), returns to tell his tale.
Wisecracking Bob, who is a little bit Chihuahua among other things, now lives with his girl, Julia, and her parents. Happily, her father works at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary, the zoo where Bob’s two best friends, Ivan the gorilla and Ruby the elephant, live, so Bob gets to visit and catch up with them regularly. Due to an early betrayal, Bob doesn’t trust humans (most humans are good only for their thumbs); he fears he’s going soft living with Julia, and he’s certain he is a Bad Dog—as in “not a good representative of my species.” On a visit to the zoo with a storm threatening, Bob accidentally falls into the gorilla enclosure just as a tornado strikes. So that’s what it’s like to fly. In the storm’s aftermath, Bob proves to everyone (and finally himself) that there is a big heart in that tiny chest…and a brave one too. With this companion, Applegate picks up where her Newbery Medal winner left off, and fans will be overjoyed to ride along in the head of lovable, self-deprecating Bob on his storm-tossed adventure. His wry doggy observations and attitude are pitch perfect (augmented by the canine glossary and Castelao’s picture dictionary of dog postures found in the frontmatter). Gorilla Ivan described Julia as having straight, black hair in the previous title, and Castelao's illustrations in that volume showed her as pale-skinned. (Finished art not available for review.)
With Ivan’s movie out this year from Disney, expect great interest—it will be richly rewarded. (afterword) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299131-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao
by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao
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by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao
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by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko ; illustrated by Wallace West
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by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao
by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023
Certain to steal hearts.
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
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More In The Series
by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao
by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao
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by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Patricia Castelao
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by Katherine Applegate ; illustrated by Charles Santoso
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