bookshelf

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Name: DOUBLE TROUBLE
Author: Scott Seegert
ISBN: 978-1-60684-372-7

From the Vordak the Incomprehensible series , Vol. 3

by Scott Seegert & illustrated by John Martin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 28, 2012

There’s a theory among comic-book readers that the supervillain is always more entertaining than the hero. This book puts...

bookshelf

At last, the supervillain tells his side of the story.

Vordak wants you to buy this book. He’s so eager for you to read it that he’s made you a character in the story. Yes, you. He demands: “Don’t you have studying or chores or your grandmother’s toenails to trim or something to occupy your time?” And you answer: “Actually, I AM studying. I’m using this book to help me with my science class.” Once in a while, Vordak asks for advice on taking over the world. He has an evil plan, but his army of scientists keeps having accidents in the Cloning Chamber. By the end of the book, there are at least nine scientists, all named Fred. Every few pages, another clone appears. These sequences are the funniest in the book. In fact, the Freds are more entertaining than Vordak, who tends to say things like: “I’m brilliant enough to know if I wasn’t as brilliant as I thought I was!” Vordak is best taken in small doses, and by the end of the story, you may wish that you were the main character.

There’s a theory among comic-book readers that the supervillain is always more entertaining than the hero. This book puts that theory to the test. (Humor. 9-12)

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60684-372-7

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Egmont USA

Review Posted Online: June 26, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
CRASH LANDING
by John Martin ; illustrated by Scott Seegert

- BOOK REVIEW
SCI-FI JUNIOR HIGH
by Scott Seegert ; illustrated by John Martin

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME TRAVEL TROUBLE
by Scott Seegert ; illustrated by John Martin

bookshelf

90 MILES TO HAVANA

by Enrique Flores-Galbis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 3, 2010

bookshelf

After Castro’s takeover, nine-year-old Julian and his older brothers are sent away by their fearful parents via “Operation Pedro Pan” to a camp in Miami for Cuban-exile children. Here he discovers that a ruthless bully has essentially been put in charge. Julian is quicker-witted than his brothers or anyone else ever imagined, though, and with his inherent smarts, developing maturity and the help of child and adult friends, he learns to navigate the dynamics of the camp and surroundings and grows from the former baby of the family to independence and self-confidence. A daring rescue mission at the end of the novel will have readers rooting for Julian even as it opens his family’s eyes to his courage and resourcefulness. This autobiographical novel is a well-meaning, fast-paced and often exciting read, though at times the writing feels choppy. It will introduce readers to a not-so-distant period whose echoes are still felt today and inspire admiration for young people who had to be brave despite frightening and lonely odds. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-59643-168-3

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Review Posted Online: June 14, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2010

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

bookshelf

STARRY TALES

by Geraldine McCaughrean & illustrated by Sophy Williams ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2001

bookshelf

McCaughrean maintains the dizzyingly high standards of The Golden Hoard (1996) and its sequels with this thematic collection of sky myths and legends. Associated with cultures as diverse as Ancient Rome and the Cook Islands, the 15 tales explain, among other things, rainbows, thunder, falling stars, the origin of night, and why the sun and moon live far apart. Whether love stories, tragedies, accounts of heroic deeds or trickster tales, all are likely to be new to young readers, even those as widely told as “Orion’s Downfall” and the Chinese “Bridge of Magpies.” McCaughrean retells them with characteristic vigor: “With sulfur from the hot springs, with magma from the volcanoes, [the gods] fashioned a foe to send against Orion: an insect that wore its skeleton on the outside for armor, a creature the color of rage and venom . . .” Williams’s indistinct, ordinary-looking figures seldom capture the tales’ drama, and while McCaughrean closes with comments on each story, there are no specific source notes. Still, this extends the scope of such Native American gatherings as Gretchen Mayo’s Star Tales (1987), and readers will be captivated by the range of visions here. (Folktales. 9-12)