A disappointing reinvention of beloved characters.
Set in modern-day Boston, this first in a new series chronicles the interactions between high school age Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis, James Moriarty.
Moria, James’ younger sister, narrates, chronicling the first clashes between the famous archrivals. James, already angry at being forced to attend Baskerville Academy according to family tradition, is further enraged when he is paired with Sherlock Holmes for a roommate. Sherlock is prideful and talks too much, and true to character, he is unapologetic for his intellect. When the Moriarty family Bible goes missing from its display case, the school is put into lockdown. Both James and Sherlock believe that the administration’s extreme reaction is proof that the Bible holds secret information. But while Sherlock applies his intellect to the mystery, James relies on deception and bullying. Lengthy narrative passages and long-winded monologues slow down the action. And although Moria and Sherlock’s budding romance is sweet, their endless banter is both repetitive and exhausting. Further, James’ sudden shift in character from loving brother to cruel criminal mastermind–in-training is abrupt and unsupported. It is never clear why he hates Sherlock so much, which makes him seem like a petulant child rather than an evil genius. Though the Moriartys are now Boston Brahmins, Pearson does not deviate so far from canon as to depict his leads as anything other than white.
A disappointing reinvention of beloved characters. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-239901-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sympathetic, compelling introduction to wolves from the perspective of one wolf and his memorable journey.
Separated from his pack, Swift, a young wolf, embarks on a perilous search for a new home.
Swift’s mother impresses on him early that his “pack belongs to the mountains and the mountains belong to the pack.” His father teaches him to hunt elk, avoid skunks and porcupines, revere the life that gives them life, and “carry on” when their pack is devastated in an attack by enemy wolves. Alone and grieving, Swift reluctantly leaves his mountain home. Crossing into unfamiliar territory, he’s injured and nearly dies, but the need to run, hunt, and live drives him on. Following a routine of “walk-trot-eat-rest,” Swift traverses prairies, canyons, and deserts, encountering men with rifles, hunger, thirst, highways, wild horses, a cougar, and a forest fire. Never imagining the “world could be so big or that I could be so alone in it,” Swift renames himself Wander as he reaches new mountains and finds a new home. Rife with details of the myriad scents, sounds, tastes, touches, and sights in Swift/Wander’s primal existence, the immediacy of his intimate, first-person, present-tense narration proves deeply moving, especially his longing for companionship. Realistic black-and-white illustrations trace key events in this unique survival story, and extensive backmatter fills in further factual information about wolves and their habitat.
A sympathetic, compelling introduction to wolves from the perspective of one wolf and his memorable journey. (additional resources, map) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-289593-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
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