An inventive if not quite convincing introduction to the master of the macabre. (Historical mystery. 8-12)
Accused of having stuffed a cat and a rooster into his pillowcase and hung it on a neighbor's weathervane, young Eddie Poe has only 24 hours to find the actual culprit before being thrashed by his adoptive father.
This imagined incident from the famed writer’s early-19th-century childhood introduces the dreamy poetry-writing boy, befriended by a raven and bedeviled by a personal demon he calls McCobber. Eddie dramatizes every situation, imagining himself a medieval knight and a doomed prisoner. But, as a supportive house slave suggests, he has to use his head to find the perpetrator of this prank, which has angered their neighbor, an influential judge. Woven neatly into the plot is an account of a period playhouse performance featuring the aging magician Mephisto who turns out to have helped Eddie's mother before her death. The whodunit mystery and suspenseful wait for Eddie’s exoneration will keep readers turning pages. Gustafson plays with Poe’s language: “And who in this household... has not been ripped from sweet slumber by the predawn crowing of that fiendish fowl?” Unfortunately, jarringly contemporary-sounding words and phrases such as “chow time,” “pizzazz” and “goofy” break the spell. The author's terrific, atmospheric black-and-white illustrations appear on nearly every page.
An inventive if not quite convincing introduction to the master of the macabre. (Historical mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4169-9764-1
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An accessible, engaging read for those who love adventure, space, and mysteries.
A murder on a lunar colony turns a bored 12-year-old into a master sleuth in this graphic adaptation of Gibbs’ 2014 novel.
Dashiell Gibson, who has a Black mom and white dad, lives with his family on Moon Base Alpha, where life is actually pretty dull. Dash must contend with terrible food and an obnoxious billionaire tourist family. While using the annoying space toilet one night, he overhears scientist Dr. Holtz discussing a history-making project with an unseen person; it’s to be announced the next day. But Dr. Holtz dies that night in an apparent accident that Dash is convinced was murder. None of the adults believe him, so Dash takes it upon himself to investigate, leading him into a complex tangle of secrets. Base commander Nina Stack wants Dash to stop sharing his theories and even makes veiled threats against him. Fortunately, new arrivals Kira, a girl his age, and Zan, a security specialist, believe him and want to help. Ultimately, Dash and Kira end up in danger while trying to solve the mystery. Jenkins’ dynamic panel layouts, expressive character designs, and immersive depictions of life on the moon, combined with Gibbs’ crisp, fast-paced dialogue and well-timed humor, seamlessly translate the original into this visual medium. While some plot points feel condensed, this adaptation retains the original’s sharp wit, engaging mystery elements, and educational tidbits about space travel.
An accessible, engaging read for those who love adventure, space, and mysteries. (Graphic science-fiction mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2025
ISBN: 9781665934800
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans.
Only children, rejoice! A cozy mystery just for you! (People with siblings will probably enjoy it too.)
Debut novelist Cornett introduces the One and Onlys, a trio of mystery-solving only kids: Gloria Longshanks “Shanks” Hill, Alexander “Peephole” Calloway, and narrator Paul (alas, no nickname) Marconi. The trio has a knack for finding and solving low-level mysteries, but they come up against a true head-scratcher when the yard of a resident of their small town is covered in rubber ducks overnight. Working ahead of Officer Portnoy, who’s a little on the slow side, can Paul, Shanks, and Peephole solve the mystery? Cornett has a lot of fun with this adventure, dropping additional side mysteries, a subplot about small businesses, big corporations, and economics, and a town’s love of bratwurst into the mix. Most importantly, he plays fair with the clues throughout, allowing astute readers to potentially solve the case ahead of the trio. The tone and mystery are perfect for younger readers who want to test their detective skills but are put off by anything scary or gory. The pacing would serve well for chapter-by-chapter read-alouds. If there are any quibbles, it’s the lack of diversity of the cast, as it defaults white. Diversity exists in small towns, and this one is crying out for more. Hopefully a sequel will introduce additional faces.
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-3003-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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