by Rachel Wenitsky & David Sidorov ; illustrated by Tor Freeman ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021
This series starter is a doggone good time.
Just what makes a good dog—or a bad one, for that matter?
Hugo, an eager and ever helpful golden retriever, wants nothing more than to make his family happy but fears they’ve become too busy to need him. Lulu the fashionista Yorkie aims to become one of the “greatest celebri-dogs on Instagram”—with just a little help from her human, of course. And though young border collie mix King is trying his best to become an agility dog, there are just so many exciting things to run off and smell! All three puppy pals are Good Dogs, and proud of it. But a new French bulldog who crashes their doggy day care outing leaves more chaos in his wake than a mere overturned hot dog cart. All agree: He’s a “VERY BAD DOG.” All also agree: That bad dog was having fun. When a series of mishaps leaves these good dogs on their own for a day, they immediately seek the interloper out, hungry for a taste of badness. Not to mention hot dogs. Equal parts hilarious and hair-raising, adventures abound, enlivened by expressive cartoon illustrations. The bright, energetic narration flows seamlessly among the dogs’ delightfully distinctive perspectives, although the second half of the novel feels a bit rushed. A salient underlying message espouses the power of friendship. Human characters are diverse—Hugo’s family is Latinx; Lulu’s owner is a Black celebrity; King’s owner presents White—but the focus is on the dogs. Sequel Good Dogs With Bad Haircuts publishes simultaneously.
This series starter is a doggone good time. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-10844-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
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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 Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown
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by Kate DiCamillo ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
Tenderly resonant and memorable.
Ferris finds herself in the midst of several love stories during the summer before fifth grade.
Emma Phineas Wilkey’s moniker comes from the circumstances of her birth: under the Ferris wheel at the fairground. Her contained world, centered around her family and best friend, is filled with kindness, humor, and singular personalities, while the indeterminate late-20th-century small-town setting feels like a safe place from which to observe heartbreak and loss. Ferris’ architect father and her pragmatic mother, on break from teaching high school math, anchor her home life, along with Pinky, her hilariously ferocious 6-year-old sister, and Charisse, her grandmother, who claims to have seen an unhappy ghost in their big old house. Ferris’ best friend, Billy Jackson, whom she’s loved since kindergarten, hears the music of the world: “The whole world is singing all the time.” Ferris, serious and sensitive, is attuned to the ways that the vocabulary words they learned in Mrs. Mielk’s fourth grade class describe moments in her life. DiCamillo’s gift for conveying an entire person and world in a few brushstrokes of storytelling provides depth and quiet magic to this account of an eventful summer in which a ghost is appeased, an outlaw (Pinky) is somewhat reformed, and an uncle and aunt are reconciled. Ferris experiences two surprising moments of transcendence and becomes aware of the ways love suffuses everything. Characters are cued white.
Tenderly resonant and memorable. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781536231052
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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by Kate DiCamillo ; illustrated by Julie Morstad
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by Kate DiCamillo ; illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
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by Kate DiCamillo ; illustrated by Sophie Blackall
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