A strong sense of right and wrong permeates the gleeful absurdity of the New Cut Gang’s madcap capers and refreshes the soul.
Two 1994 novellas—Thunderbolt’s Waxwork and The Gas-Fitters’ Ball—plunge readers into the colorful melee of 1894 London in this satisfying, slapstick U.S. debut starring the intrepid boy and girl detectives of the New Cut Gang.
Counterfeiting sixpences is “a low, sneaking, sniveling sort of crime,” as it hurts the poor the most. So when Thunderbolt Dobney sees his own father hauled off to jail for what he thinks must be “coining,” he feels sick inside. Justice prevails when, through a series of outrageously elaborate hijinks, he and the New Cut Gang expose the real criminal. Why a host of crooks is after the unsettlingly hideous wax-headed dummy of Dippy the hot-chestnut vendor is an entirely different case to crack. In The Gas-Fitters’ Ball, the New Cut Gang is just lamenting the recent lack of crime in London when the Gas-Fitters’ Hall is burgled. No Swedish match or drop of wax goes unnoticed, and another mystery is solved. As ever, Pullman proves himself the master storyteller with laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue and memorable characters that spring to life, from the literally omnivorous Sharky Bob to the “blooming supernatural” Peretti twins and the “oily-eyed poodle-faker” Mr. Horspath.
A strong sense of right and wrong permeates the gleeful absurdity of the New Cut Gang’s madcap capers and refreshes the soul. (Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: May 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-87029-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2012
Mystery and just a little peril make an absorbing vehicle for an exploration of ADHD.
If only Max could remember the night that left his best friend in a coma.
Max, an 11-year-old who’s almost 6 feet tall, doesn’t know how Will, one of his best friends, ended up unconscious by the side of the road—but it’s probably his own fault. If only he hadn’t encouraged Will to go into the nature preserve with Max and Joey! If only Max hadn’t run away! It must be his fault, because Joey won’t even speak to him now. Even before Will’s injury, Max had been having a rough time coping with his newly diagnosed ADHD and the recent growth spurt that left adults unfairly treating him like an aggressor. Now he has a detective asking him questions, Joey’s older brother making veiled threats, and his mom fighting with his weird-but-awesome Uncle Cal. With the help of budding student journalist Samantha, Max tries to solve the mystery of Will’s injury. Luckily, he has an assist from the ADHD–management techniques he’s learning from his insightful therapist: anger management, apologizing, emoting, exercise, and not procrastinating. While the novel, whose main characters are White, sometimes wobbles between “whodunit starring a neurodiverse detective” and “therapeutic book about ADHD against the backdrop of an ostensible mystery,” the rising danger to Max keeps the story gripping.
Mystery and just a little peril make an absorbing vehicle for an exploration of ADHD. (Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-66858-3
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
Jimmy has quite the story to tell. His happy life in Lake Charles, La., is suddenly disrupted by a violent storm, and he is...
Paley offers a first-person, present-tense account of a puppy’s journey through Hurricane Katrina, based on a true story.
Jimmy has quite the story to tell. His happy life in Lake Charles, La., is suddenly disrupted by a violent storm, and he is left alone and homeless. The fierce storm and Jimmy’s struggles to stay alive are described in unsparing detail. Jimmy barely escapes drowning and being eaten by a bobcat. Starving, he spots a nest of baby birds: “I lean over and snatch one. While the raft is rocking, I gobble it up. It’s so good, I grab a second bird without hesitating.” After being rescued from the flood waters, Jimmy describes the conditions he endures in an animal shelter before being adopted by a new family in New York. At first, Jimmy is not sure how he feels about his new life; his new “Dad” doesn’t seem to think much of him, and there are the small matters of a bully in the dog park and a new name, Hooper, to get used to. Adjustment brings contentment, and readers who have followed Jimmy/Hooper's odyssey will be satisfied with the ending.Pub Date: June 28, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-201103-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2011
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