This first in a series explores ancient Sparta and the tensions between the ruling Spartans and their slaves, the Helots. Young Lysander lives as a slave with a secret: He possesses a mythical jewel that his ailing mother insists he must never lose. Ford weaves an exciting if somewhat implausible story around the theft of the jewel and Lysander’s rise into freedom and inclusion in the Spartan system of barracks-style education. If the plot raises an eyebrow, it doesn’t prevent Ford from illustrating daily life in Sparta quite effectively, making its history palatable to young readers. As Lysander struggles with the demands of his tutors, he feels conflicting loyalties to both the Spartans and Helots. Ford includes plenty of thrilling fights and footraces as he propels his story toward a sequel. Blood and sweat enhance the book’s appeal. A useful introduction to ancient history for its target audience. (Historical fiction. YA)
Pub Date: March 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9744-5
Page Count: 250
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2008
Hillenbrand takes license with the familiar song (the traditional words and music are reproduced at the end) to tell an enchanting story about baby animals picked up by the train and delivered to the children’s zoo. The full-color drawings are transportingly jolly, while the catchy refrain—“See the engine driver pull his little lever”—is certain to delight readers. Once the baby elephant, flamingo, panda, tiger, seal, and kangaroo are taken to the zoo by the train, the children—representing various ethnic backgrounds, and showing one small girl in a wheelchair—arrive. This is a happy book, filled with childhood exuberance. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201804-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sloppy first novel that shows glimmers of promise.
A boy wizard afflicted with a rare disease battles the forces of evil in this debut fantasy novel.
Feslen Raster, an adopted 14-year-old boy suffering from a rare blood disorder, is viewed as “abnormal”–by official edict, all abnormal citizens are to be kept out of sight. Only his adoptive family’s high social standing allows him to lead a somewhat normal life, though he is still the object of much public ridicule. Feslen does have a few supporters, however: his brother Duxan, his friend Ka-Wei and the aged martial-arts teacher Master Chai, who has taken the young man under his wing. Master Chai sees Feslen’s untapped potential as a powerful mage, and even suspects he may be “the One” prophesied by the ancients to save the world from impending doom, in the form of a group of evil wizards conspiring to take over the land. When Master Chai is murdered and his daughter Mei Xue kidnapped, Feslen vows to rescue her. First, though, he must corral the vast but untamed magical gifts with which he’s been blessed. Embarking on his mission with a motley crew consisting of his brother, Ka-Wei, a mysterious princess, a thief and another novice mage, Feslen encounters the usual array of monsters and spirits on a journey that becomes a coming-of-age experience–both emotionally and magically–for the young wizard. Kang’s debut certainly won’t win any points for style. But despite a derivative, predictable plot and countless mechanical issues, the author’s marriage of Eastern and Western elements in a fantasy setting is intriguingly rendered, and the empathy and love with which Fester is portrayed will keep readers interested.
A sloppy first novel that shows glimmers of promise.Pub Date: July 7, 2006
ISBN: 0-595-37563-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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