Foolish feline fun conceals a lesson about xenophobia, helping middle graders absorb it.
Kitty’s humans foster displaced kittens…a recipe for kitty conflict!
In the midst of Bad Kitty’s ongoing dust-up with the paper carrier (who routinely aims for Kitty’s head when he tosses the paper), Bad Kitty’s humans take in some unfamiliar kittens from a conflicted neighborhood nearby. Kitty’s having none of it—after all, Kitty doesn’t share (Uncle Murray here breaks in with series-trademark Fun Facts about feline territoriality). After Kitty shows her characteristic hostility to the refugees, her humans call Uncle Murray to come over to school Kitty in how to be nicer…but Kitty has so traumatized Murray in the past, he agrees that the kittens present a danger—they will grow up to become cats, after all. After a bad dream and time to reflect, Uncle Murray and Kitty come around and apologize to the kittens for their prejudice…and Kitty uses what she’s learned to befriend the paper carrier. As with other recent volumes in his popular series, Bruel uses goofy humor and his curmudgeonly cat character to take on a weighty issue. While Uncle Murray’s Fun Fact segments offer practical advice on introducing new cats to existing cats, Bad Kitty’s tale counsels tolerance and empathy when dealing with others.
Foolish feline fun conceals a lesson about xenophobia, helping middle graders absorb it. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-11)Pub Date: Dec. 31, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-18208-1
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another uproarious romp that explores what it is to be good as well as do good.
The foursome of reformed villains returns with a new mission and new team member in a continued effort to repair their reputations in Blabey's (The Bad Guys, 2017) rollicking sequel.
This second installment opens with our would-be heroes, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, and Mr. Piranha, fresh from their bold liberation of the local pound, finding that the media is not spinning in their favor. Accused of terrorizing rather than rescuing, the group (at least Mr. Wolf) refuses to admit defeat—"We're the GOOD GUYS here!"—and begins planning a new mission to free innocent chickens from their deplorable confinement in the Sunnyside Chicken Farm. But if the team can't work together—something all the more difficult with the team a little panicked by the addition of Legs (a friendly, tech-genius tarantula) and one of the group suspiciously excited to greet the chickens—a rescue mission may be all but impossible. Despite some language devaluing of mental diversity (“freak out,” “loco,” etc.) that may turn some readers off, Blabey once again deploys moral ambiguity to overall success, challenging fear as a justification for prejudice and mistakes as reasons to give up. The narrative has lost no comic momentum from first to second book, juxtaposing classic riffs on Mission Impossible and new visual gags unique to these delightfully wry characters.
Another uproarious romp that explores what it is to be good as well as do good. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91241-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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
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