Perhaps there is appeal for dyed-in-the-wool fans, but it’s not likely to make converts
A misfit toy strives to fit in at his new academy.
A spinoff of the animated NEXO KNIGHTS and the eponymous toy line introduces Fletcher, a plucky country orphan off to train at the famous Knights' Academy. Once he arrives at the school, he quickly befriends Izzy, a precocious girl whose brother is a famous alumnus. On an academically mandated scavenger hunt, the pair unearths a strange shield that they believe harbors beneficial powers. Once in possession of the mysterious relic, they learn that the wicked Baron von Bludgeonous is pursuing them, determined to steal the shield and use its power to unleash an unspeakable evil. Will the two yellow underdogs (they are Legos, after all) be able to rise up and save not only their academy, but also the entire kingdom? Superficiality is the order of the day; for example, Fletcher has a mystical, innate force guiding his tough decisions—a gut feeling—that is literally in his gut. Short chapters carry the flimsy and predictable adventure, which seems better suited for its animated counterpart than a prose novel. Littered with name-dropping references to the many facets of the franchise, this feels like a protracted commercial lacking the visual interest of the cartoon or the creativity of the building sets. While certainly current, once the next Lego darling is introduced, this flash in the pan will be relegated to obscurity.
Perhaps there is appeal for dyed-in-the-wool fans, but it’s not likely to make converts . (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-338-04183-5
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A feel-good tale of a clever and determined stallion set against a well-developed landscape.
In mid-19th-century Nevada, a colt named Sky grows up to lead his band of wild horses.
Parry’s moving story follows the pattern of her recent animal tales, A Wolf Called Wander (2019) and A Whale of the Wild (2020), chronicling a wild animal’s life in the first person, imagining its point of view, and detailing and appreciating the natural world it inhabits. As Sky grows from wobbly newborn to leader of his family, he faces more than the usual challenges for colts who must fight their stallions or leave their herds when they are grown up. Fagan’s appealing black-and-white illustrations help readers envision this survival story. Sky’s adventures include forced service with the Pony Express; being befriended by an enslaved Paiute boy; escaping to find his now-captured band; and helping them escape the silver miners who’d destroyed their world. Animal lovers will applaud his ingenuity and stubbornness. Although Sky’s band has suffered serious injuries (his mother is blind), he and Storm, a mare who was his childhood companion, lead them toward safety in a new wilderness. The writer’s admiration for these wild horses and her concerns about human destruction of their environment come through even more clearly in a series of concluding expository essays discussing the wild horses, the Indigenous Americans, the natural history of the Great Basin, silver mining, and the Pony Express.
A feel-good tale of a clever and determined stallion set against a well-developed landscape. (author’s note, resources) (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023
ISBN: 9780062995957
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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