A bold tale with a diverse cast of characters and a solid story, well-suited to younger readers and fans of pirates, African...
In this illustrated debut novel, Walford spins a mischievous yarn full of boys’ adventure, suspense, pirates, lost treasure, island exploits and what some might consider far too many snakes.
James Barrington “J.B.” Hunter is the oldest of five African-American brothers. His younger brothers—Blake, Joshua, and twins Bernie and Jeffrey—are, to varying degrees, smart, funny and hyper. When their father, professor Hunter, receives what looks to be a real treasure chest, the wheels are set in motion for an unexpected trip to Jamaica, bringing the boys face to face with some of the more mysterious skeletons in the family closet. The brothers also uncover clues pointing to a hidden treasure on the island; unfortunately, though, they aren’t the only ones seeking the legendary Sacred Arrows. The Supreme Order of Danaos, a dark, ancient secret society, will stop at nothing to get them. The story hops along at a good pace, although it tends to play second fiddle to the characters’ back stories. However, while the history is engaging, it is rarely integrated smoothly into the narrative, coming across more often than not as an interruption. The connections among the characters and their histories are spot-on. The boys’ reactions, for example, to discovering that their ancestor was a pirate and a hero are both heartwarming and entertaining. African heritage, which is central to the story, is integrated into the narrative with skill and care. And while the prose is occasionally awkward or hyperbolic—“Mende ardently answered their questions as he frantically evaded the snake”—it fits with the exuberance expressed by J.B. and his brothers. Finally, the design of the book is fantastic, with appealing black-and-white illustrations starting each chapter.
A bold tale with a diverse cast of characters and a solid story, well-suited to younger readers and fans of pirates, African history and lost treasure.Pub Date: June 27, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 430
Publisher: N Gallerie Press
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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