Marcus’ exciting journey as a Roman slave and the unfolding of secrets and fortunes will have readers racing through the...
When his father, a former Roman centurion, is murdered, 10-year-old Marcus Cornelius Primus is enslaved and forced into training as a gladiator, and his mother, a former slave, is returned to slavery.
“The Gods will play their games,” Aulus Tullius Taurus, his chief training instructor, tells him, reflecting on Marcus’ declining fortunes. Marcus’ dream is to survive gladiator school and one day earn his freedom. But his path will not be easy. Gladiator training is harsh enough, but he must also face a bully in the form of Ferax, a Celt bent on his destruction. But Marcus develops a friendship with Brixus, a slave in the kitchen who had once been a lieutenant to Spartacus, and Brixus discovers a secret about Marcus that will alter Marcus’ destiny. When Marcus is forced to face wolves in an early gladiator challenge and ends up saving the life of Portia, the niece of Gaius Julius Caesar, his life takes a turn, as Caesar brings Marcus to Rome to be Portia’s bodyguard. It’s an exciting, well-told adventure that deserves a readership…if young readers can get past the corny cover and untangle all the names that end in -us.
Marcus’ exciting journey as a Roman slave and the unfolding of secrets and fortunes will have readers racing through the pages and eagerly anticipating the sequel, Street Fighter. (Historical adventure. 10-14)Pub Date: April 24, 2012
ISBN: 988-1-4231-5101-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2012
A clever idea, but one that is better suited to older readers as a gift book than to young children’s bedtime routines.
This innovative title puts a spin on bedtime reading but ends up being more of a gift book with an interesting premise than a children's picture book that can deliver on its promise.
Unique physical design is immediately apparent as a spiral binding at the top of the book invites readers to flip pages from the bottom, while the back cover folds out into a base that enables the book to stand upright like an easel. Introductory text says that “this book offers a list of possible dreams and inspiring visions that will guide your sleeping hours.” Instructions for carrying out the “dream recipes” follow, telling readers to select a page, put it under bright light for five minutes and then turn out the lights to see the glowing “traces that the dream leaves behind” in order to then follow them in one’s sleep. The dreamscapes have brief text introducing each scene: "The Dream of the dead singer"; "The cozy, warm Dream." The scenes themselves have spare illustrations that then reveal richer glow-in-the-dark-details. Design ultimately trumps the conceit, however, since child readers might hinge their expectations on actually having dreams inspired by the pictures.
A clever idea, but one that is better suited to older readers as a gift book than to young children’s bedtime routines. (Novelty. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55498-179-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: July 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
Young readers will respond to the voice as well as the predicament, while grown-ups will appreciate the values.
Sweet, sassy and mystical, this novel deftly melds an old-fashioned story of princess preparation with the modern twist of body image and self-esteem.
B.B.’s plight unfolds in a diary format. At 13, she has grown bored with life on a secluded island with her doting, albeit squabbling Godmommies. B.B. is in exile because her royal parents feared for her life. Rather than fearing for her safety, however, B.B. is more concerned with having friends, meeting a boyfriend and wearing stylish clothes. What works best is the classic storytelling voice. Randall (The Wind Done Gone, for adults, 2001) and Randall Williams create characters who feel authentic and familiar even as they inhabit a fantastical, supernatural world. The Godmommies are a hoot, coloring B.B.’s world with their homespun wisdom. B.B.’s constant comparisons between herself and Photoshopped images in the magazines she reads sometimes feel jarring, although they are certainly timely. At its heart, this is a tale of a girl straddling two worlds—the safety and comfort of what she’s been taught with the promise of who she really wants to be.
Young readers will respond to the voice as well as the predicament, while grown-ups will appreciate the values. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-61858-015-3
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Turner
Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
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