A nonsensical but ultimately hopeful bit of whimsy.
In van Rensburg’s illustrated children’s fantasy novella, a powerful curmudgeon finds the perfect person to pass on the burden of caring for the world.
Greyson Grim is a grumpy old man—and understandably so. After all, as the current owner of the world, he’s solely responsible for ridding it of all the bad things in it, which are referred to in the ownership manual as “Thingamajigs.” According to the hefty tome, the only way to void the world of its troubles is to eat them, which Greyson has done for a very long time. Now, he’s decided, it’s time to sell the world—a transaction that requires no money, and just a signature on a contract. He has just the person in mind to be the new owner: a pure-hearted 8-year-old orphan named Tobi. Van Rensburg’s book is clever, to be sure, if a bit silly, as when “bad Thingamajigs” are consumed as food items. Greyson, for example, drinks a Thingamajig called “RUDE TO MY SISTER,” mixed with “NOT VERY NICE” and “BEING BAD”—as coffee, sugar, and milk, respectively. He later eats “LYING” and “STEALING” as bacon and eggs. But although the book is a brisk read, some of it feels like filler, even when it’s not, as when Tobi inexplicably decides that he wants three wishes granted before signing the contract: ice cream, a visit to the zoo, and an outing at the beach. Although these are fairly conventional wishes for a child, Greyson enjoys each wish so much that it sends the story in a completely new direction. Overall, though, the book carries a positive message without feeling didactic. The book’s length and occasionally sarcastic tone may provide some difficulty for very young readers, but Thompson’s vivid cartoon illustrations assist in creating a delightful series-starter.
A nonsensical but ultimately hopeful bit of whimsy.Pub Date: June 13, 2026
ISBN: 9783912504002
Page Count: 92
Publisher: Chugwater Studios
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic.
A loyal black kitten’s boy is under supernatural attack.
Eleven-month-old Nimbus loves Fletcher, the boy who nursed her back to health following life-threatening injuries. When Fletcher becomes curious about a strange jar and opens it, releasing a terrible goblin, loyal Nim protects Fletcher, taking heavy damage in the process. But Fletcher’s aunt, who’s caring for him over spring break, believes Nim attacked Fletcher and dumps her far from home. Rhett, a stylish rat with star quality, befriends injured Nim and leads her to a witch’s house. While the witch cares for Nim, the witch’s cats (maternal Fern, bookish Rochester, standoffish Bianca, and openly hostile Abraxas) teach Nim important cat skills. She also discovers she has a supernatural ability: In destroying one eye of the nightmare demon in the fight to protect Fletcher, Nim gained its “dream sight.” But she also learns it might come back for Fletcher, who no longer has Nim to protect him, posing a time-sensitive, high-stakes threat. Even though the witch’s home is nice and magic itself seems to be telling her to stay put, Nim wants to find a way back to Fletcher. As a hero, Nimbus is as gritty and determined as she is adorable. Tear-jerker moments explore pet abandonment—readers may want their own pets on hand to hug—all the way through the magical, action-packed finale. Fletcher and the witch read white.
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780062680372
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
BOOK TO SCREEN
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