A trio of friends travel to a magical kingdom to save the day in a syrupy series opener.
Shy Summer, bold Jasmine and artistic Ellie are inseparable best friends. While helping clean up after a school rummage sale, they discover a mysterious wooden box decorated with a mirror, carved designs and glass stones. After they wipe the dust off of the mirror, a riddle appears. When the girls solve it, the box magically summons Trixi the pixie and King Merry, the ruler of their home, the Secret Kingdom (a magical world that exists alongside ours). The box was one of Merry’s inventions, designed to help him save his kingdom from his wicked sister, Queen Malice. Summer, Jasmine and Ellie go to the Secret Kingdom to stop Malice from spreading unhappiness. The evil queen has hidden six thunderbolts infused with wickedness throughout the kingdom, and the first one is planted somewhere at the palace, where it will ruin Merry’s birthday celebration. In addition to exploring the magical land, the girls must rescue Merry’s presents. In a theatrical final showdown with Malice’s forces, the girls must fill in on stage to thwart Malice’s evil plot to sabotage Merry’s birthday. The girls promise to return whenever they’re needed. Readers who can’t wait to return to the Secret Kingdom won’t have to—the second book, Unicorn Valley (978-0-545-53554-0), is scheduled to publish simultaneously. Glitter, sparkles, tiaras and magic ahoy. (Unicorn Valley preview, Ellie character profile, character quiz) (Fantasy. 6-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-53553-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2013
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
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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