Profound in its own sparkling, humorous way.
A child deals with loss.
When 10-year-old Dottie Bing’s Grandpa Walter shows up at her house, he is carrying a Chock full o’ Nuts coffee can and his suitcase. He is there to visit after the death of Dottie’s grandma Ima. Dottie soon realizes Grandpa Walter goes everywhere with the coffee can, which is filled with Ima’s ashes. He brings it to the kitchen, where he pours two cups of coffee; he reads out loud to it; and he plays cards with it. Dottie is puzzled, but she is dealing with her grief in her own way—building a treehouse, because Ima always wanted one. Her best friend, Sam, is excited to help in this mission—a word Dottie knows Sam will like, since he loves using complex vocabulary, introduced throughout (which readers will delight in learning and using). Tucked into this brilliant mix of a plot is Miles, an unfriendly boy who is always making fun of Sam and Dottie, and Dottie’s younger sister, Jazzy, a force of nature in a 4-year-old body. As Dottie and Sam build the treehouse, Dottie focuses on all the animals in her stomach—an effective, original metaphor for her churned-up feelings of grief and change. Embellished with black-and-white illustrations, this surprisingly humorous story has narrative details that fold seamlessly into the overall plot while cleverly enriching it. Most characters read as White in the artwork; Sam is trans.
Profound in its own sparkling, humorous way. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-40666-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to...
A group of talking farm animals catches wind of the farm owner’s intention to burn the barn (with them in it) for insurance money and hatches a plan to flee.
Bond begins briskly—within the first 10 pages, barn cat Burdock has overheard Dewey Baxter’s nefarious plan, and by Page 17, all of the farm animals have been introduced and Burdock is sharing the terrifying news. Grady, Dewey’s (ever-so-slightly) more principled brother, refuses to go along, but instead of standing his ground, he simply disappears. This leaves the animals to fend for themselves. They do so by relying on their individual strengths and one another. Their talents and personalities match their species, bringing an element of realism to balance the fantasy elements. However, nothing can truly compensate for the bland horror of the premise. Not the growing sense of family among the animals, the serendipitous intervention of an unknown inhabitant of the barn, nor the convenient discovery of an alternate home. Meanwhile, Bond’s black-and-white drawings, justly compared to those of Garth Williams, amplify the sense of dissonance. Charming vignettes and single- and double-page illustrations create a pastoral world into which the threat of large-scale violence comes as a shock.
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to ponder the awkward coincidences that propel the plot. (Animal fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-33217-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
A clever, magical romp, overflowing with high drama and low humor.
In this second series entry, blue-freckled foundling Spella De-broom Cauldroneyes and friends take an exciting shopping trip to Mummy City—arriving just in time to help save the world.
Gathering up both her shy best friend, Tolden Tutters (whose dragon, Softfang, serves as his hearing aid), and the many fantastical hats of her green-skinned guardian witch, Mathilda Cauldroneyes, 8-year-old Spella leaves jolly Hungry Snout Forest for the big city. There, the disappearances of a certain very powerful old cauldron and a rising number of the city’s residents signal that trouble’s beginning to bubble. (“Toothless Toz is ten feet tall and smells of old cheese…His arm fell off in 3356 BC and was never found again, so he used a feather duster in its place.”) As it happens, Stonescare, a “frightful, mean wizard,” has recruited some scary allies for a new scheme. Readers fond of stories filled with silly names, ingenious spellcasting both helpful (a sandwich-dispensing cardigan pocket) and otherwise (screaming farts), and engaging magical creatures (booger-eating purple unicorns, tree wart trolls quaintly collecting roozle wart for their morning tea) will echo Spella’s favorite expression of delight—“toadfire!”—at the many comical twists. They’ll also appreciate the summary way the fledgling wand-wielder sends a pair of sneering bullies packing. The ending promises more adventures to come. Final art not seen.
A clever, magical romp, overflowing with high drama and low humor. (Fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665955348
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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