Trolls and ogres and emo preteens. Oh my.
Thirteen-year-old Max and her brother, Carter, are trapped on the enchanted Summer Isle with the misdirected Pied Piper, the evil Grannie Yaga, and the lost children of Hamelin.
The siblings are separated and fighting their own battles. Carter, whom everyone believes to be the prophesied last son of Hamelin, practices magic with the erratic and unstable Piper. Meanwhile, Max has enlisted the help of some of the inhabitants of New Hamelin to fight ogres, escape witchcraft, and reunite with her brother. But magical creatures and evil witches are only part of the problem. The Summer Isle is changing—and not for the better. If Max and Carter are to escape the island, thwart Grannie Yaga’s plans, rescue the children of Hamelin, and restore their parents’ souls, they will need their friends’ help: human, trollson, spirit, and elfling alike. Fans of the series will enjoy the fast-paced, magic-filled conclusion to the trilogy, while readers unfamiliar with the siblings’ adventures will be grateful for the abundance of summary offered in the early chapters. The clever retelling of a familiar tale neatly blends modern preteen angst with plenty of high-stakes magical adventuring. Diversity is found mostly among the nonhumans; Max and Carter are white.
Trolls and ogres and emo preteens. Oh my. (Adventure. 10-13)Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-75530-6
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017
A very promising kickoff with arbitrary but intriguingly challenging magic.
A middle schooler discovers both up and down sides to being able to foretell the future.
Members of the Cleary clan in alternating generations have always been granted predictive powers on their 4,444th day of life, and Celia has been eagerly looking forward to her first vision—until, that is, it comes and reveals that cute, quiet classmate Jeffrey is slated to die in a hit-and-run. Weighing her horror against her wise Grammy’s warnings that fate is inexorable, she contrives a way to head off the accident…only to foresee another fatal mishap in his future. And another. By the time she’s saved his life five times in a row, she’s not only exhausted, but crushing on the hapless lad. (As, unsurprisingly, he is on her.) Reintgen generally keeps the tone of his series opener light, so even after Celia discovers that there’s ultimately a tragic price for her intervention, the ensuing funeral service is marked by as much laughter as sorrow. The author surrounds his frantic but good-hearted protagonist with a particularly sturdy supporting cast that includes gratifyingly cooperative friends as well as her Grammy and loving, if nonmagical, mom. There don’t seem to be many Cleary men around; perhaps that and certain other curious elements, like a chart listing particular Cleary specialties with names such as Dreamwalker and Grimdark, will be addressed in future entries. Main characters read as White.
A very promising kickoff with arbitrary but intriguingly challenging magic. (Fantasy. 10-13)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66590-357-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The Baudelaire children—Violet, 14, Klaus, 12, and baby Sunny—are exceedingly ill-fated; Snicket extracts both humor and horror from their situation, as he gleefully puts them through one terrible ordeal after another. After receiving the news that their parents died in a fire, the three hapless orphans are delivered into the care of Count Olaf, who “is either a third cousin four times removed, or a fourth cousin three times removed.” The villainous Count Olaf is morally depraved and generally mean, and only takes in the downtrodden yet valiant children so that he can figure out a way to separate them from their considerable inheritance. The youngsters are able to escape his clutches at the end, but since this is the first installment in A Series of Unfortunate Events, there will be more ghastly doings. Written with old-fashioned flair, this fast-paced book is not for the squeamish: the Baudelaire children are truly sympathetic characters who encounter a multitude of distressing situations. Those who enjoy a little poison in their porridge will find it wicked good fun. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-440766-7
Page Count: 162
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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