A favorite in France for decades, these 19 tongue-in-cheek tales of daily life as seen through the eyes of an uncritical young everylad will elicit bursts of laughter from children and adults alike. Writing in long, breathless sentences and liberally applying his favorite word, “fantastic!,” Nicholas sunnily recounts a series of quotidian experiences, from his all-boy school’s tumultuous Class Picture Day to disastrous visits from a new School Inspector and a local politician, from a forced playdate with a wimpy, teacher’s-pet classmate to an unhappy encounter with a cigar. Goscinny, better known as a co-creator of Asterix the Gaul, adds violent but somehow non-traumatic melees to each standalone episode, pokes gentle fun at the grownups and closes nearly every chapter with a droll twist. Liberally endowed with Sempé’s tiny, comic cartoon figures, these whimsical mini-adventures will captivate readers who missed their first go-round in English, The Chronicles of Little Nicholas (1993). At least one sequel is scheduled. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: July 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-7148-4529-9
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Phaidon
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2005
IN THE NEWS
Based on a journal and an unpublished manuscript, a brief, surprisingly lifeless account of the boyhood of one of Indianapolis's first settlers. Among other activities, Elijah Fletcher leaves home to attend a new school as a boarder; rescues his brother, who has inadvertently stowed away on a paddlewheel boat; and goes to the Marion County Fair. Unfortunately, the text jumps from one episode to another, each so sketchily narrated that it's hard to develop either much interest in Elijah or much understanding of what his life was really like. Henry does provide information like the name of the man who had the first brick house in Indianapolis—a person who doesn't figure otherwise here and, like the book, isn't likely to interest most young readers. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: March 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-02-743671-3
Page Count: 39
Publisher: Four Winds/MacMillan
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
While chasing a dog into a neighbor's yard, Jason meets a pair of Intragalactic Troubleshooters with a spaceship in the garage. Despite the catlike Lootna's dire warnings, Jason is recruited by breezy, reckless Cooper Vorr and—without further ado—the team's off to snatch a stolen energy crystal from Urkar Grugg the Awful, return it to the grateful Star-King of Zarr, and listen to some bad jokes by the Star-King's Court Jester Robot. Jason gets back home in time for his drum lesson, and with a nifty new wrist communicator, too. The adventure may be over, but only for today: tomorrow the Giant Lizard Pirates of Zeek are waiting.... Fast, funny light sf from the authors of Max and Me and the Time Machine (1983). Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 9- 11)*justify no*
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1991
ISBN: 0-06-021761-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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