Delightfully chaotic.
Is there anything worse than mayhem ruining your breakfast?
Dash Candoo is no ordinary elementary schooler. After he dispatches three fearsome Wrestle-Scallywags and a two-tailed Devil Cat that interrupted his breakfast, Dash heads to Swedhump Elementary to take classes like Vegetables and Paper Airplanes alongside English and math. But the morning’s mayhem was just the beginning: Items are mysteriously stolen from school grounds in broad daylight. Dash knows the Scallywags and Devil Cat are involved, and he immediately begins investigating. But he will need the help of his best friend, Rob Newman, some highly specific gadgetry, and several secret tunnels if he wants to figure out who’s behind the thefts and why before the villains carry out their final plan. With this series opener, Lazar has crafted a visual narrative that lands somewhere between a wacky cartoon and an increasingly outlandish group round robin. With Dash narrating all the background exposition and action play-by-play, readers don’t have much breathing room as the plot hurtles forward—something Lazar seems to anticipate with the inclusion of occasional double-page spreads to break up the momentum as well as the promise of a treat should a reader finish the book in one sitting. The underlining of certain terms to signal that readers can find further information in copious backmatter also offers the option to pause. Black-and-white illustrations render Dash and a few other characters as characters of color. Sequel Tuesday—The Curse of the Blue Spots publishes simultaneously.
Delightfully chaotic. (Graphic adventure. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-77037-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to...
A group of talking farm animals catches wind of the farm owner’s intention to burn the barn (with them in it) for insurance money and hatches a plan to flee.
Bond begins briskly—within the first 10 pages, barn cat Burdock has overheard Dewey Baxter’s nefarious plan, and by Page 17, all of the farm animals have been introduced and Burdock is sharing the terrifying news. Grady, Dewey’s (ever-so-slightly) more principled brother, refuses to go along, but instead of standing his ground, he simply disappears. This leaves the animals to fend for themselves. They do so by relying on their individual strengths and one another. Their talents and personalities match their species, bringing an element of realism to balance the fantasy elements. However, nothing can truly compensate for the bland horror of the premise. Not the growing sense of family among the animals, the serendipitous intervention of an unknown inhabitant of the barn, nor the convenient discovery of an alternate home. Meanwhile, Bond’s black-and-white drawings, justly compared to those of Garth Williams, amplify the sense of dissonance. Charming vignettes and single- and double-page illustrations create a pastoral world into which the threat of large-scale violence comes as a shock.
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to ponder the awkward coincidences that propel the plot. (Animal fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-33217-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
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