by Maureen McQuerry ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2012
A slow but richly atmospheric read.
Lonely Lena Mattacascar heads to the border to find a father she barely remembers and an answer to her unusual appearance.
Armed with a letter and money from her absent father, 18-year-old Lena leaves her dour mother and grandmother and takes the train toward Scree—wilderness, penal colony and rumored reservation for Peculiars, humanoid creatures with tell-tale abnormalities. Cursed with elongated fingers and feet, Lena both fears that she may be a Peculiar and hopes that she may find acceptance in Scree. Obstacles plague Lena’s journey, and she is soon stranded in the faded seaside town of Knob Knoster. While seeking a guide and more money for her expedition, she finds herself working at Mr. Beasley’s steampunk-esque Zephyr House alongside the endearingly earnest librarian Jimson Quiggley, on a secret mission from the charismatic blackmailer Marshal Saltre. Set in a vaguely Victorian world, Gothic elements permeate the story: a mysterious house, an abundance of secrets, odd servants and competing romantic figures, though Lena’s shame over her abnormalities alienates her from both Saltre and Quigley. The sporadic action scenes feel artificial, but the ambiguity surrounding the existence of Peculiars and the origin of their physical deformities—magic? genetics?—is thought-provoking.
A slow but richly atmospheric read. (Steampunk. 12 & up)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0178-8
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2012
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by Duane Armitage & Maureen McQuerry ; illustrated by Robin Rosenthal
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by Duane Armitage & Maureen McQuerry ; illustrated by Robin Rosenthal
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by Pierdomenico Baccalario & translated by Leah D. Janeczko illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 27, 2011
Clever writing and a pell-mell plot will win over readers new to the series and satisfy its fans (Adventure. 12 & up)
This third installment in this four-book teen thriller series continues the adventures of a multicultural group of teens in the mysterious mission that they know is important to Earth’s survival, this time in Paris.
As has become usual, maps and archival photos included in the centerfold provide a sense of the city of Paris. Even before Harvey, Elettra and Sheng join Mistral, they encounter people trying to prevent them from getting together. The City of Light has so many hiding places located in cathedrals, museums and underground haunts that their undertakings are made unusually difficult. Characters (and readers) are kept in the dark: Clues and facts are provided in stingiest manner, hyping the suspense, grabbing readers’ attention and keeping it. New villains include a vicious café owner and a pretty but untrustworthy young woman. Balancing the baddies, an ancient spirit aids the four teens by producing relevant warnings and mystifying effects. Though readers of the first two books will find the story easier to understand, back story is provided for newcomers.
Clever writing and a pell-mell plot will win over readers new to the series and satisfy its fans (Adventure. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-375-85897-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
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by Pierdomenico Baccalario & translated by Leah D. Janeczko
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by Pierdomenico Baccalario & Tommaso Percivale ; illustrated by AntonGionata Ferrari ; translated by Sara Hauber
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by Alessandro Gatti & Pierdomenico Baccalario ; illustrated by Simona Mulazzani ; translated by Brenda Porster
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by Evan Munday ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2011
Authorial tics aside, an engaging tale with a resilient heroine, a dead but lively supporting cast and enough wit to grease...
A goth teen meets ghosts, uncovers a murder and even gets a little (very little) work done on her horror novel in this mannered but entertaining prose debut.
October considers the cemetery next to her new house a nice touch, as her single father is clinically depressed and she’s been dubbed a “Zombie Tramp” by mean girl Ashlie Salmons just moments after entering the “teenaged Thunderdome” of her new Ontario high school. At least she can work on her magnum opus, Two Knives, One Thousand Demons, among the tombstones—except that just reading a spell from the book calls up the friendly but rambunctious ghosts of five local teens killed over the past two centuries. Then her favorite teacher is crushed beneath a car. The police call it an accident, but October’s not so sure…and with help from her motley crew of ectoplasmic allies sets out to discover the truth. Switching frequently for no evident reason between first and third person and occasionally interjecting authorial comments, Munday interweaves a brisk tale of high-school hatreds with an investigation that ultimately leads back to terrorist acts committed 40 years before and culminates in a wild Halloween climax. Munday, a cartoonist, tucks in black-and-white spot portraits and closes with notes on characters and cultural references.
Authorial tics aside, an engaging tale with a resilient heroine, a dead but lively supporting cast and enough wit to grease the wheels. (Detective fantasy. 12-15)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55022-971-4
Page Count: 300
Publisher: ECW Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
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by Evan Munday ; illustrated by Evan Munday
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by Evan Munday ; illustrated by Evan Munday
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