Thoughtful, if uneven.
In the sequel to Wolfstongue (2022), Silas’ daughter must rescue her father when he’s kidnapped by devious fox Reynard.
Ever since Mum died, Willow and Dad’s relationship has been strained. Willow doesn’t understand why Dad dwells on the past, and she doesn’t share his guilt about humans’ harsh treatment of wolves, with whom Dad shares a special bond. But when a fearsome beast drags Dad into the woods, she’s determined to save him. Accompanied by Hersent and Isengrim’s three daughters—now the Forest’s last wolves—she enters Reynard’s lair, his chaotic Tower that is patrolled by automatonlike clay creatures and fraught with inequality; foxes at the top flaunt their wealth while the animals below go hungry. Reynard’s henchmen brought Dad to the Tower because, as the Wolfstongue, he’s the only one who can retrieve the magical clay that will prevent the Tower’s collapse. When Dad refuses, Willow volunteers to go in his place—setting off a terrible chain of events. Even worse, Reynard isn’t the only animal hatching horrible schemes. In addition to revisiting such themes as self-determination and the power of language, Thompson touches on political rivalry and the effects of grief. While Willow’s complex feelings about Mum’s death are poignant, Silas’ lack of development somewhat reduces the emotional impact of his and Willow’s frayed relationship. Occasionally poetic prose and evocative black-and-white illustrations smooth a slightly disjointed plot. Willow and Dad present white.
Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2023
ISBN: 9781915071354
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Little Island
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Affecting and hopeful.
A stray dog finds her destiny amid the chaos of a Southern California wildfire.
Wombat is a small dog with stubby legs and “silly ears / that look like furry cookies”—almost impossibly cute in Bricking’s occasional pencil-style vignettes. She’s mastered the art of survival, so when a mysterious internal voice prods her to go toward the fire, she resists. “The wrong way is the right way. / The right way is the wrong way,” the voice insists. When she tells fellow stray Silas about it, he tells Wombat she’s a “destiny dog,” bound to “find their person / before their person / can find them.” Convinced, she decides to follow the mysterious instructions. Meanwhile, Henry, a boy who’s leery of dogs, loves the bats at the wildlife rehabilitation center where Mama Ro, a veterinarian, works; his Mama J is a librarian. Henry and Barnabas, a fruit bat at the center, are both uprooted by the fire, and their paths converge with Wombat’s at an emergency shelter. The third-person perspective shifts from character to character in clusters of free-verse poems that fully immerse readers in each one’s experiences in turn. This extra-concentrated delivery of Applegate’s typically spare writing proves effective, balancing terror and sadness with heart and humor. Henry has light brown skin, Mama Ro has curly black hair and brown skin, and Mama J presents white.
Affecting and hopeful. (Verse fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780063221178
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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