A perfunctory introduction to seven ``monsters'' that might or might not be hiding out in some of the world's wilder places: the human-like Bigfoot, Yeti, and Mongolian Almas; Nessie, and Lusca, the giant octopus; the dinosaurian Mokele-Mbembe and the huge winged Kongamato, both of tropical Africa. All get unskeptical essays describing efforts to track them down and identify them, prefaced by fictional encounters—Bigfoot briefly kidnaps a young hunter; Kongamato buzzes a white man who spurns the protective magic of his native guide; a young Sherpa and her grandfather bait a trap for Yeti with beer; etc. Walker is no storyteller; though his language is sometimes lurid (``Between the tall trees, gnarled manzanita bushes grow like blood-red demons''), the episodes have a sameness—the monster appears, makes menacing gestures at a terrified human, and departs or escapes. Noonan's small, undetailed portraits lend some drama but are more suggestive than accurate; Kongamato, for instance, is seen with a long tail, though it's described in the text as a pterodactyl (and therefore tailless, or nearly so). Supplementary at best. The annotated bibliography, characteristically, mentions none of Daniel Cohen's books. (Nonfiction. 10-13)
Pub Date: March 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-15-207147-4
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Despite its colorful photos and intriguing subject, this title in the ``Technology in Action'' series makes for dull reading. Topics like ``Heat Treatment'' or ``Drying Food'' receive brief, general discussions with a European slant—e.g., a section on ``Food Additives'' details how countries in the European Community label packaged foods with ``E numbers,'' but no information is given on US labeling. Lambert's perspective can also be odd: ``The quality of manufactured food is important, from the points of view of both the consumer and the producer; a poor quality product does not continue to sell.'' Certainly more serious consequences could be envisioned. Elsewhere, he is redundant or uninformative: ``In a modern meat-processing plant, animals are processed from live animals to cuts of meat.'' Marginal. Brief glossary; five titles for further reading; index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-531-18400-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1992
A young African-American makes an excellent debut with a novel about a TV performer rehearsing a new show. There's a lot going on in Delaney's life, and she's handling it with mixed success. With her widowed mother's reluctant approval, she'll be the youngest of three hosts on the show, a new kind of role that entails a summer of preparation. Mom, a dentist, is suddenly dating her partner, and Delaney is affronted because he's white and because she treasures the memory of her dad. She's also at odds with one of her two best friends, her jealousy exacerbated when her busy schedule throws the others together. Booth develops each conflict with well-chosen incidents, wisely focusing on Delaney. Despite some glamorous details, her job is hard work, with tough discipline and a demanding schedule that finally forces her to go, unwillingly, to a school for professional children. The many other characters, lightly sketched, make adequate foils for the beautifully realized Delaney: talented, resilient, a little spoiled and demanding, not always ready to face facts but, ultimately, a believable 11-year- old learning to work out her problems on her way to success. There are some overtidy resolutions here, but pungent scenes like the taping of an interview with a rock star who's a real ``jerk,'' or appealing touches like the banter about Delaney and her mom's being vegetarians, easily make up for them. A thoroughly likable story from a welcome new voice. (Fiction. 10- 13)
Pub Date: April 30, 1992
ISBN: 0-684-19392-2
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1992
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