Next book

MAGIC SMELLS AWFUL

From the Xander and the Rainbow-Barfing Unicorns series , Vol. 1

A unicorn story with a twist and funny characters who are in for an adventure.

A magic-obsessed boy meets four (not-so-good smelling) talking, barfing unicorns.

Twelve-year-old Xander is walking home from school one day when he sees strange rainbows shooting across the sky. The rainbows “didn’t simply fade into view, as rainbows are known to do. No, they burst through the air, as if they were in a hurry to get to the other side of the mountain.” Xander runs toward the woods to see what’s going on, only to confront moments later “an impossible creature”—and then more. In all, he meets four extremely unusual unicorns: Cradie, Stalor, Blep, and Ronk. One pukes on him! The unicorns have been banished from the magical world of Pegasia for trying to eat the other unicorns. They are not your typical unicorns. In fact, they are stinky, zombielike unicorns. But they don’t feel safe on Earth because “humans can’t be trusted,” so Xander vows to protect them. He must devise a plan to hide or disguise these talking, barfing unicorns from humans. What can go wrong? Manning’s premise is so bizarre it works, and Ellis’ use of bright, bold colors to highlight the black-and-white spot illustrations amps that premise further, making the journey of these unicorns on Earth a truly hilarious one. Both Xander and his crush, Kelly, have brown skin and straight, brown hair. Backmatter includes a spotlight on unicorn Ronk and some jokes.

A unicorn story with a twist and funny characters who are in for an adventure. (Fantasy. 7-10)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4965-5719-3

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Stone Arch Books

Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018

Next book

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS AND THE TYRANNICAL RETALIATION OF THE TURBO TOILET 2000

From the Captain Underpants series , Vol. 11

Dizzyingly silly.

The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.

Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.

Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)

Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014

Next book

A WHALE OF THE WILD

A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.

After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.

Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.

A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020

Close Quickview