An imaginative, humorous book with a strong emotional foundation.
A magical helper comes to the aid of a worried young boy in this chapter book.
There’s a bond between young kuzoolies—magical, human-sized fairylike creatures with wings—and children. Only kids can see them, and even then, only the kuzoolies who aren’t fully grown. Feyi Fay is a young blue-winged kuzooly with chocolate-colored skin and coffee-colored eyes. Via a magical phone app that only kids know about, Feyi learns that a boy in London needs her help. Tom, about 6, has messy blond hair and a problem. He’s heard from his friend Tunde that a Madam Koi Koi (named for the sound she makes when walking) takes kids away who open their eyes after going to bed. Now he can’t sleep, and he hears noises from the living room. This must mean that “Madam Koi Koi is talking to my mom and they are plotting to take away my ice cream...forever!” As evidence, a strange pair of red high heels can be seen under the crack in the bedroom door—shoes that make the sound “Koi Koi Koi.” If Tom will be brave and ask his mother, Feyi can protect them from Madam Koi Koi with various magical objects manifested through a special cowry bead. After a series of amusing misadventures, Tom and Feyi learn the truth about the red-shoes–wearing woman and a lesson about the protectiveness of mothers. In her debut book, Brownstone inserts a Nigerian boarding school legend about a ghostly high-heeled teacher within her own original creation about African fairies. These fairies are refreshing, given the superabundance of white-skinned fairies in children’s books. Tom’s fears are taken seriously but contrasted with Feyi’s lighthearted confidence and the charm of magic. His anxieties find deeper reassurance, though, in his mother’s realism and strength: “No madam is taking you away from me. No sir. Not on my watch.” The illustrations, too, are entertainingly lively. It’s an effective, well-balanced mix, likely to win readers for the next planned volume in this series. Discussion questions and further links are provided.
An imaginative, humorous book with a strong emotional foundation.Pub Date: July 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-73223-150-4
Page Count: 101
Publisher: Teni and Tayo Creations LLC
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
