The strongest stories in this collection are the ones previously unpublished: the two-page “Night Voyage,” as lovely a paean to the land of dreams as one might wish; the meandering and melancholy “Rafiddilee,” with its inside-out echoes of Rumpelstilskin and The Hunchback of Notre Dame; the gentle and ultimately rosy “Frogskin Slippers.” Pierce is brave enough to let us see “Icerose,” a tale she wrote when she was 17. While it has none of the power of her current work, it’s nifty to see the writer, pearly and opalescent inside the dark oyster shell of youth and inexperience. Pierce takes pieces of many tales and reworks them finely: in “Rampion,” the Rapunzel and Selkie references are woven into a very different tapestry. Readers who cannot get enough of Pierce will want to ride these “luminous and deep” waters; others might prefer Treasure at the Heart of Tanglewood (2001). (Short stories. 12+)
Pub Date: April 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-670-03687-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2004
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
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Edgar Award–winning Riordan leaves the adult world of mystery to begin a fantasy series for younger readers.
Twelve-year-old Percy (full name, Perseus) Jackson has attended six schools in six years. Officially diagnosed with ADHD, his lack of self-control gets him in trouble again and again. What if it isn’t his fault? What if all the outrageous incidents that get him kicked out of school are the result of his being a “half-blood,” the product of a relationship between a human and a Greek god? Could it be true that his math teacher Mrs. Dodds transformed into a shriveled hag with bat wings, a Fury, and was trying to kill him? Did he really vanquish her with a pen that turned into a sword? One need not be an expert in Greek mythology to enjoy Percy’s journey to retrieve Zeus’s master bolt from the Underworld, but those who are familiar with the deities and demi-gods will have many an ah-ha moment. Along the way, Percy and his cohort run into Medusa, Cerberus and Pan, among others.
The sardonic tone of the narrator’s voice lends a refreshing air of realism to this riotously paced quest tale of heroism that questions the realities of our world, family, friendship and loyalty. (Fantasy. 12-15)Pub Date: July 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-7868-5629-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2005
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None
The Potternaut rolls on, picking up more size than speed but propelling 15-year-old Harry through more hard tests of character and magical ability. Rowling again displays her ability to create both likable and genuinely scary characters, most notable among the latter being a pair of Dementors who accost Harry in a dark alley in the opening chapter. Even more horrible, Ministry of Magic functionary Dolores Umbridge descends upon Hogwarts with a tinkly laugh, a taste in office decor that runs to kitten paintings, and the authority, soon exercised, to torture students, kick Harry off the Quidditch team, fire teachers, and even to challenge Dumbledore himself. Afflicted with sudden fits of adolescent rage, Harry also has worries, from upcoming exams and recurrent eerie dreams to the steadfast refusal of the Magical World's bureaucracy to believe that Voldemort has returned. Steadfast allies remain, including Hermione, whose role here is largely limited to Chief Explainer, and a ragtag secret order of adults formed to protect him from dangers, which they characteristically keep to themselves until he finds out about them the hard way. Constructed, like Goblet of Fire, of multiple, weakly connected plot lines and rousing, often hilarious set pieces, all set against a richly imagined backdrop, this involves its characters once again in plenty of adventures while moving them a step closer to maturity. And it's still impossible to predict how it's all going to turn out.
None (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: July 1, 2003
ISBN: 9780439358064
Page Count: 896
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2003
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
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