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JERRY'S GHOSTS

Name: JERRY'S GHOSTS
Author: Sarah Sargent
ISBN: 0-02-778035-X

AND THE MYSTERY OF THE BLIND TOWER

by Sarah Sargent ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1992

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Jerry, 11, glimpses two child-size apparitions at the local museum and is instantly intrigued. When they ``summon'' him to be their playmate, he falls a little in love with the older ghost, Mattie, and is charmed by her smaller brother, Edward. Lonely Jerry at first intends to become famous for discovering the ghosts; then his crush on Mattie makes him realize that she needs someone to take care of her and Edward; finally, he understands that they have other worlds to which they must tend. In the meantime, he finds himself involved with their sinister uncle, who, in his quest for immortality, is responsible for their deaths and needs Jerry for further experiments. This slight ghost story is redeemed by the well-developed characters of all three children and by Jerry's relationship with Mattie and Edward. His motives run a tremendous range, all naively appropriate for a boy his age, and give the story scope. The evil uncle escapes—to a sequel?—but there's a satisfying sweet resolution. (Fiction. 8-11)

Pub Date: April 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-02-778035-X

Page Count: 144

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE SINGING ROCK & OTHER BRAND-NEW FAIRY TALES

by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer ; illustrated by Simini Blocker ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2019

Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock”...

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The theme of persistence (for better or worse) links four tales of magic, trickery, and near disasters.

Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists. In the nearly wordless “Hip Hop Wish,” a frog inadvertently rubs a magic lamp and finds itself saddled with an importunate genie eager to shower it with inappropriate goods and riches. In the title tale, an increasingly annoyed music-hating witch transforms a persistent minstrel into a still-warbling cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig, duck, and rock in succession—then is horrified to catch herself humming a tune. Athesius the sorcerer outwits Warthius, a rival trying to steal his spells via a parrot, by casting silly ones in Ig-pay Atin-lay in the third episode, and in the finale, a painter’s repeated efforts to create a flattering portrait of an ogre king nearly get him thrown into a dungeon…until he suddenly understands what an ogre’s idea of “flattering” might be. The narratives, dialogue, and sound effects leave plenty of elbow room in Blocker’s big, brightly colored panels for the expressive animal and human(ish) figures—most of the latter being light skinned except for the golden genie, the blue ogre, and several people of color in the “Sorcerer’s New Pet.”

Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock” music. (Graphic short stories. 8-10)

Pub Date: June 18, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-59643-750-0

Page Count: 112

Publisher: First Second

Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019

Categories:

GENERAL GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS | CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
OCTOPUS ESCAPES!
by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer ; illustrated by Frank W. Dormer

- BOOK REVIEW
SCARLATTI'S CAT
by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer ; illustrated by Carlyn Beccia

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BOO! BOOK
by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer & illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli

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THE COLOR OF MY WORDS

by Lynn Joseph ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 31, 2000

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This standout novella lustrously portrays Ana Rosa and the rich simplicity of her family’s daily life in the Dominican Republic. The linked vignettes and elegant prose vitalize the merengue music, colorful houses, as well as the people’s poverty and the tyranny of the government. Each chapter begins with one of Ana Rosa’s lovely rhythmic verses. A poet and writer at age 12, she steals bits of paper to record everything she sees, hears, and imagines. Ana Rosa’s family is very close by necessity, but it is her beloved brother Guario who has the job that supports them. As the novella proceeds, dark shadows begin to slink through the gentle days. We learn that Ana Rosa’s father drinks too much rum and Coke, especially on Sundays, when he becomes a lurching spectacle. Then an official informs the villagers that to build a hotel, the government has sold the land on which their families have lived for generations. The villagers band together, Ana Rosa writes an article, and her brother Guario becomes their passionate leader. But when the day of the standoff arrives, the villager’s words and rocks are nothing against the guardia’s guns and bulldozers. The heartbreaking result is Guario’s death. Without diluting the sorrow, Joseph (Fly, Bessie, Fly, 1998, etc.) illustrates the good arising from the tragedy as the government cancels the hotel project and Ana Rosa begins writing the life of her brother. This is an achingly beautiful story that will awaken profound emotions in the reader. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-11)