Two boys imagine an adventure in the kingdoms of Thatchwych and High Dudgeon. Sir Seth and his buddy Sir Ollie go a-questing in their tinfoil armor to find the missing Soothsaying Shoes of Sir Shawn Shrood. They wend their way to the dark, lonely castle of Prince Quincy of Poxley with the help of saber-toothed sloth Edith-Anne and the ghost of Jolly King Wally. Can they brave the weezils and weevils and elephant ants with measles and worse? With the help of new friends, it’s easy-peasy! Published in an avowed attempt to revive the read-aloud for middle graders, Canadian ad-man Thake’s first work of fiction will, more likely, sour their stomachs. The forced rhymes and treacly descriptions would set teeth on edge in a picture book. The bad grammar and cutesy made-up words are anything but instructive, easily addressed “dangers” kill any sense of adventure and the characters never develop beyond caricatures. Serviceable black-and-white, cartoon illustrations can’t save this. Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon books, Kate McMullan’s Dragon Slayers' Academy and the storied Magic Tree House all render this painfully patronizing series unnecessary. (Fantasy. 7-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-897349-92-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson’s special-ed class, aka, “the junkyard.” But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco’s trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha’s group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story’s warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author’s note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda.
Hank Zipzer, poster boy for dyslexic middle graders everywhere, stars in a new prequel series highlighting second-grade trials and triumphs.
Hank’s hopes of playing Aqua Fly, a comic-book character, in the upcoming class play founder when, despite plenty of coaching and preparation, he freezes up during tryouts. He is not particularly comforted when his sympathetic teacher adds a nonspeaking role as a bookmark to the play just for him. Following the pattern laid down in his previous appearances as an older child, he gets plenty of help and support from understanding friends (including Ashley Wong, a new apartment-house neighbor). He even manages to turn lemons into lemonade with a quick bit of improv when Nick “the Tick” McKelty, the sneering classmate who took his preferred role, blanks on his lines during the performance. As the aforementioned bully not only chokes in the clutch and gets a demeaning nickname, but is fat, boastful and eats like a pig, the authors’ sensitivity is rather one-sided. Still, Hank has a winning way of bouncing back from adversity, and like the frequent black-and-white line-and-wash drawings, the typeface is designed with easy legibility in mind.
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-448-48239-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
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