Comically delightful.
Young creature-seekers search for a troll in Lucey’s droll romp.
Convinced of the existence of magical creatures after an unexpected encounter at the library, an intrepid Black child named Jenny recruits detail-oriented Emiko (who’s cued Japanese American) and tall, chartreuse-skinned Brian to learn about the cryptids that may exist in ordinary Rockhurst. Together they form the Society of Creatures Real and Magical. Their inaugural quest: to meet a troll! Thanks to extensive library research, the friends look for anyone who may be hiding horns (Brian’s hats amusingly throw suspicion off him), navigating the city’s dense crowds and searching Mifune’s Market for trolls’ favorite drink, frog juice. After a detour to speak with Cool Ronan Sammy (a kid who claims to see trolls every day) leads to a frustratingly amusing dead end, the exasperated explorers try their luck at Trolden Park, where a hilarious revelation awaits. Full of zany jokes and clownish wit, Lucey’s latest features lovable characters whose fun quest will draw readers in. Throughout the trio’s adventures, Rockhurst and its diverse, madcap residents add marvelously to the tale’s somewhat fantastic bent, enhanced by artwork that boasts rich, luminous colors and portrays frenetic action. The book concludes with a mock-up detailing the society’s findings on trolls, an interview with “a local expert” (i.e., the author/illustrator), and hints of future installments.
Comically delightful. (Graphic adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781250851949
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short.
In the dystopian, totalitarian world of 2099, 14-year-old Tessa and her family are desperate to solve the mystery of her twin brother Theo’s disappearance.
Tessa is growing up in a time when playgrounds are historical relics, surveillance cameras are everywhere, music is outlawed, and owning books is illegal. Under the absolute rule of Zokiris, the decadeslong leader of her territory, people are heavily controlled. When Theo vanishes under mysterious circumstances and his name is erased from the Territory Statistics list, Tessa’s 135-year-old neighbor, Miriam, gives the family contraband books that become central to figuring out Theo’s whereabouts. Most books have long since been seized and stored away in Building 903; Tessa is intrigued by their presence in her home, while her mother is terrified. Lowry, the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Giver (1993), shines in her creation of uncomfortably believable dystopian societies. Tessa’s painfully limited world is fully imagined, with its own history, laws, and norms. Her relationship with her brother reads as realistic and tender and is crucial to the mystery. Miriam is the most strongly developed character: wise and independent, unafraid and hopeful. While the climb to the book’s climax is captivating, the hurried resolution is disappointing. The powerful messaging around the importance of literature and imagination certainly resonates, however. The main characters present white.
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short. (Dystopian. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780063515109
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic.
A loyal black kitten’s boy is under supernatural attack.
Eleven-month-old Nimbus loves Fletcher, the boy who nursed her back to health following life-threatening injuries. When Fletcher becomes curious about a strange jar and opens it, releasing a terrible goblin, loyal Nim protects Fletcher, taking heavy damage in the process. But Fletcher’s aunt, who’s caring for him over spring break, believes Nim attacked Fletcher and dumps her far from home. Rhett, a stylish rat with star quality, befriends injured Nim and leads her to a witch’s house. While the witch cares for Nim, the witch’s cats (maternal Fern, bookish Rochester, standoffish Bianca, and openly hostile Abraxas) teach Nim important cat skills. She also discovers she has a supernatural ability: In destroying one eye of the nightmare demon in the fight to protect Fletcher, Nim gained its “dream sight.” But she also learns it might come back for Fletcher, who no longer has Nim to protect him, posing a time-sensitive, high-stakes threat. Even though the witch’s home is nice and magic itself seems to be telling her to stay put, Nim wants to find a way back to Fletcher. As a hero, Nimbus is as gritty and determined as she is adorable. Tear-jerker moments explore pet abandonment—readers may want their own pets on hand to hug—all the way through the magical, action-packed finale. Fletcher and the witch read white.
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780062680372
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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