Three friends venture into a world of monsters in Duffie’s debut middle-grade fantasy.
Twelve-year-old Lillian and her best friends, Maisy and Katy, decide to go looking for Lillian’s missing sister, Bluebell. It’s been two years since Bluebell vanished, but for some reason, Lillian feels that her sister is now calling to her. With her friends in tow, she follows her instincts to a local beach. There, they meet Jack, a boy their age, and there’s more to him than meets the eye. Although he initially appears to them in human form, they soon learn that Jack is a magical being, capable of shape-shifting. He transports them to the Monster Realm, a parallel world, where they meet all manner of creatures from myth and legend—some friendly, some viciously evil—as they try to track down the elusive Bluebell. As the girls struggle to survive, with Jack’s help, they hear rumors from various creatures that something is very wrong in the Monster Realm. Lillian recalls long-buried memories of her sister that make her wonder if Bluebell is trying to instigate a war between humans and monsters. When the group finally finds her, it’s just the beginning of an adventure featuring more serious problems and graver dangers, as the conclusion lays the groundwork for a sequel. The seemingly endless perils in the Monster Realm and the mystery of Bluebell’s disappearance help keep the story moving swiftly along. The third-person narration gives readers glimpses inside the heads of all three girls, each of whom has a distinctive personality and a unique approach to solving problems. At times, the characters seem unrealistically self-aware, as when Maisy chastises herself after an encounter with a chimera: “Why do I always act before I think? I always do things without considering the consequences.” The deftly handled action sequences, however, overshadow these occasional heavy-handed touches.
A fast-paced YA novel that transports readers to a world filled with magic and peril.
Pub Date: May 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-0984934683
Page Count: 274
Publisher: Roam and Ramble
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating...
Nicholas is a bright boy who likes to make trouble at school, creatively.
When he decides to torment his fifth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Granger (who is just as smart as he is), by getting everyone in the class to replace the word "pen'' with "frindle,'' he unleashes a series of events that rapidly spins out of control. If there's any justice in the world, Clements (Temple Cat, 1995, etc.) may have something of a classic on his hands. By turns amusing and adroit, this first novel is also utterly satisfying. The chess-like sparring between the gifted Nicholas and his crafty teacher is enthralling, while Mrs. Granger is that rarest of the breed: a teacher the children fear and complain about for the school year, and love and respect forever after.
With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating tale—one to press upon children, and one they'll be passing among themselves. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-689-80669-8
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1996
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