A lively, inviting introduction sure to win fans.
Sherlock Holmes and friends are recast as modern kids at the Baker Street Academy.
New student John Watson quickly befriends fellow students assertive Martha Hudson and enigmatic Sherlock Holmes. While the main characters are white, there are secondary characters of color. Once John settles in, he starts a blog in which he writes and illustrates his stories about life at the school. The plot starts in earnest when a museum field trip is interrupted by a flash mob and an unsuccessful robbery—but when the diamond recovered from the would-be thief is revealed to be a fake, it has both authorities and kids wondering where the real Alpine Star is. Thoughtful formatting balances prose with illustrations, comic-book panels, and snippets of newspapers or online news websites, enhancing the energy and pace. It also plants the occasional red herring and helps to obscure the villain for readers who aren’t familiar with the name Moriarty and are just learning the conventions of comic-book villains. The cartoon illustrations evoke personality effectively, most noticeably in interludes with adorable Baskerville the hound and presenting Sherlock and James Moriarty with contrasting visual codes: Sherlock is rounded, whereas Moriarty and his dark trench (to counter the light one Sherlock wears) are spiky to denote foul intent. With such engaging art, it’s a shame that the visual clues that lead Sherlock to his deductions are not present for keen-eyed readers to make their own inferences; they must wait for Sherlock’s explanations along with the rest of the cast.
A lively, inviting introduction sure to win fans. (Graphic/mystery hybrid. 7-11)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-19315-2
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
Another uproarious romp that explores what it is to be good as well as do good.
The foursome of reformed villains returns with a new mission and new team member in a continued effort to repair their reputations in Blabey's (The Bad Guys, 2017) rollicking sequel.
This second installment opens with our would-be heroes, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, and Mr. Piranha, fresh from their bold liberation of the local pound, finding that the media is not spinning in their favor. Accused of terrorizing rather than rescuing, the group (at least Mr. Wolf) refuses to admit defeat—"We're the GOOD GUYS here!"—and begins planning a new mission to free innocent chickens from their deplorable confinement in the Sunnyside Chicken Farm. But if the team can't work together—something all the more difficult with the team a little panicked by the addition of Legs (a friendly, tech-genius tarantula) and one of the group suspiciously excited to greet the chickens—a rescue mission may be all but impossible. Despite some language devaluing of mental diversity (“freak out,” “loco,” etc.) that may turn some readers off, Blabey once again deploys moral ambiguity to overall success, challenging fear as a justification for prejudice and mistakes as reasons to give up. The narrative has lost no comic momentum from first to second book, juxtaposing classic riffs on Mission Impossible and new visual gags unique to these delightfully wry characters.
Another uproarious romp that explores what it is to be good as well as do good. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91241-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
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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