Well-trodden ground with a few fun surprises.
Can a young boy with a big imagination really save the day?
In a world where superheroes (and supervillains) exist, Wally Crenshaw lives in his tiny New Jersey town of Crumbly-by-the-Sea. Crumbly is a modern anomaly with its odd pattern of cell, internet, and cable services that are operational only two hours a day. Wally lives with his widowed mother and idolizes the Justice Brigade, dreaming of joining the team as the self-named superhero Whiz Kid. His imagination runs wild, and too many false calls have made local law enforcement regard him as an unreliable witness. When a villain known as the Accelerator is thought to be in Crumbly, Wally’s greatest fears and hopes are realized as both superheroes and feds converge. However, this small town may be hiding some very big secrets: Can Wally truly become a superhero and help his town? Kupperberg’s yarn is packed with twists and turns and a cinematic panache (and a healthy helping of action and high-tech gadgetry) that most comics fans will appreciate. However, the action can come across as derivative, seemingly taking cues from well-known franchise storylines. Wally’s characterization tends toward boilerplate: an underdog boy who ultimately achieves what he most desires, overcoming adversity through optimism. Wally and most of the characters default to White.
Well-trodden ground with a few fun surprises. (Superhero fantasy. 8-11)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-937868-85-7
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Heliosphere Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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