This story of a child’s longing for a puppy, illustrated with charming, cartoon-style illustrations, aims to combine narrative with factual information for children 6 and up.
Giles (JESUS SITS in the DRIVERS SEAT, 2014, etc.) tells the story of young Thomas, the narrator, who wants a “puppy brother.” After briefly using his mother’s binoculars to see a faraway dog park, Thomas decides to build an optical instrument of his own. As he searches for materials in a closet, something hits his head, and though he completes his telescope, when he looks into it, he falls into a magical land. There, he and Princess Jade embark on a journey guided by magical creatures until they land in a dog park, and he feels his face being licked. Opening his eyes, Thomas finds himself in the hospital, recovering from a concussion. It’s his birthday, and his cousin Jade is holding his gift—the puppy brother he’s been longing for. Throughout the tale, Thomas’ mother shares world history lessons, but the integration is awkward, especially the attempt to link the Battle of Iwo Jima and binoculars. The way Thomas’ optical instrument is described—“binoculars somehow end up being a telescope that is really a kaleidoscope”—is confusing, as is the timing of his concussion. Most readers will think Thomas is hurt when he begins hallucinating, but his mother’s explanation in the hospital indicates it happened earlier. Because the narration doesn’t clearly tie Thomas’ desire for the optical instrument to his desire for the dog and because unnecessary details—such as the history of the Fresnel lens or all the components required to construct a homemade kaleidoscope—interrupt, the story’s momentum is lost. The book is poorly edited, with uncorrected errors in punctuation and sentence structure; e.g., “What is a dog park I ask?” The choice to avoid colloquial language in the dialogue, for example, the repeated use of cannot and I have instead of can’t and I’ve, makes the voices unrealistic and stilted-sounding.
As with binoculars or a telescope, inability to properly focus mars the view.
Pub Date: June 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-1495247972
Page Count: 34
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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