Could entertain a young audience, but more advanced readers will have moved beyond this simple style and plot.
In an illustrated, easy-to-read story with animal characters, Yang attempts to educate young children about fiscal responsibility.
The second in a series, this slim title follows the adventures of Earl and Eli, a lost pig and a young wolf with a special collar. The narrative establishes their initial meeting in the woods, Earl’s escape from the pig farm’s slaughterhouse and their journey together, as they escape two bulldogs sent to retrieve Earl. At the end of this installment, Earl and Eli end up working in a restaurant to pay off their dinner tab to the owner. Throughout the book, Earl’s love of reading and books is contrasted with Eli’s inability to read, which is portrayed as a key weakness that gets Eli into trouble when he cannot read the restaurant’s menu prices. The importance of literacy within the book is its greatest strength as a learning tool for young children. Via a cute allusion to Charlotte’s Web, Earl mentions that his “spider-friend Charlene” taught him to read, although this title has less depth and emotional impact than E.B. White’s classic. The format, featuring about a dozen black-and-white illustrations, is that of an early-chapter book. While the storyline here is fairly accessible, the brevity of the adventure may be disappointing to young readers eager to see Earl and Eli’s extended, meaningful adventures. It’s also unclear in this installment whether Eli is a wolf or a dog: Within the narrative, Earl refers to him as a dog, but Eli’s internal thoughts mention wolves, while the book’s illustrations portray him ambiguously.
Could entertain a young audience, but more advanced readers will have moved beyond this simple style and plot.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2011
ISBN: 978-1466407817
Page Count: 92
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A solid series starter for tinkerers and adventurers alike.
Even robot cats have a mind of their own.
All 12-year-old Canadian Lacey Chu’s ever wanted was to become a companioneer like her idol, Monica Chan, co-founder of the largest tech firm in North America, Moncha Corp., and mastermind behind the baku. Bakus, “robotic pets with all the features of a smartphone,” revolutionized society and how people interact with technology. As a companioneer, Lacey could work on bakus: designing, innovating, and building. When she receives a grant rejection from Profectus Academy of Science and Technology, a school that guarantees employment at Moncha Corp., she’s devastated. A happenstance salvaging of a mangled cat baku might just change the game. Suddenly, Lacey’s got an in with Profectus and is one step closer to her dream. Jinx, however, is not quite like the other bakus—he’s a wild cat that does things without commands. Together with Jinx, Lacey will have to navigate competitive classmates and unsettling corporate secrets. McCulloch effectively strikes a balance between worldbuilding and action. High-stakes baku battles demonstrate the emotional bond between (robotic) pet and owner. Readers will also connect to the relationships the Asian girl forges with her diverse classmates, including a rivalry with Carter (a white boy who’s the son of Moncha’s other co-founder, Eric Smith), a burgeoning crush on student Tobias, who’s black, and evolving friendships new and old. While some mysteries are solved, a cliffhanger ending raises even more for the next installment.
A solid series starter for tinkerers and adventurers alike. (Science fiction. 8-13)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8374-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.
Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
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