written and illustrated by P.K. Butler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 10, 2024
An engaging introduction to what’s sure to be a breezy fantasy series.
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A boy chances upon a remarkable girl who’s also sometimes a bird in this opening installment of Butler’s chapter-book series.
Third grader Ben has trouble believing his new friend Olivia’s story about a “Bird Girl.” This “wild girl” lives in the state park and makes it her mission to free caged birds. But then Ben meets Bird Girl, sitting high in a tree with her black hair jutting out like spread wings. She doesn’t have a name—for now, she calls herself Benita. She mentions a club; its members include herself, Olivia, and two other school kids. They’re all young, as Benita is invisible to any human over the age of 9. While the members are oddly mum about the club’s “true purpose,” Ben does witness Benita transform into a crow. He also gets the chance to help Benita do what she does best when two recently liberated parakeets are recaptured and in need of rescue. Butler’s compact tale is one of discovery and wonderment—Ben has many things to ask after learning about Benita, who has to limit him to five questions at his first club meeting. His untiring inquisitiveness opens up a profound theme of identity—is Benita a girl who turns into a bird, or a bird who turns into a girl? Despite the book’s brevity, it has memorable personalities aplenty on offer: Olivia is reluctant to provide Ben with club details, one member worries about their upcoming dreaded 10th year, and parents write off Bird Girl tales as “dribble.” In lively prose, the author delivers such memorable images as Benita, in bird form, who “strutted across the steel pole like an Olympic gymnast.” Butler’s lightly shaded black-and-white illustrations are modest, though Benita and her distinctive hair always stand out. This book’s ending, perhaps unsurprisingly, sets up the next installment.
An engaging introduction to what’s sure to be a breezy fantasy series.Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9780982034286
Page Count: 82
Publisher: Pinchey House Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2023
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter Brown
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by Aubrey Hartman ; illustrated by Christopher Cyr ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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by Aubrey Hartman ; illustrated by Marcin Minor
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