Fabulous fun.
Canine Arthur and feline Queenie narrate a high-stakes mystery in this second book of their eponymous middle-grade series.
Arthur and Queenie take the stage as dog and cat co-narrators of this funny, deftly plotted mystery. Arthur is a delightfully foggy dog with a big doggie heart—not keen on exercise but very keen on food. For her part, Queenie is the epitome of cat aloofness and self-love. Arthur and Queenie live at Blackberry Hill Inn in Vermont, with Mom and 11-year-old fraternal twins Harmony and Bro; they are as devoted to their humans as they are antipathetic to each other. The same morning mysterious woman Ms. Pryor checks into the inn, Sweet Lady Em, the neighbor’s famous-for-her-cream cow, goes missing, and Queenie, who gets a dish of cream each morning on her special saucer, is extremely unhappy about it. Then 11-year-old Jimmy Doone, Bro’s friend, is blamed for the cow’s going missing because, his father says, he didn’t lock the barn door, but Jimmy insists that he did. Later, Jimmy’s father is found seriously injured by a blow to the head, and why is Ms. Pryor nosing about Catastrophe Falls? The stakes ramp up considerably in this suspenseful and satisfyingly nuanced story. Arthur’s and Queenie’s hilarious personalities as they narrate in alternating chapters give the whole tale a refreshing spin. The people read as white default.
Fabulous fun. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-24580-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
A potent mixture of magic and monsters that never materializes.
After 12-year-old Fort’s father is abducted during an alien attack on Washington, D.C., he jumps at the chance to attend a school of magic that is preparing to go to war with the invaders.
Fort is anxious to start his new school, but he finds Oppenheimer School to be nothing like Hogwarts. Instead of a castle with turrets and magical creatures roaming the forest, Fort’s new school is on a military base complete with armed soldiers and high-tech security. Although the school teaches both Healing magic and Destruction magic, Fort is determined to master the latter in order to avenge his father. When he arrives, Fort is given an ultimatum: learn three spells in three days or be sent home. While he quickly makes enemies with the aggressive Destruction students, he also makes important friends. Jia Liang is a master of Healing magic. Rachel, a wielder of Destruction magic, helps Fort fight his battles. And Cyrus, newly transferred from London, uses his clairvoyance to keep everyone out of trouble. While this new take on a magical academy is imaginative, the narrative wanders, spending too much time on bickering, dead ends, and flashbacks. Fort’s indecision is his greatest stumbling block, making him a lackluster leader. An open ending suggests more to come. The book adheres to the white default; Jia is a Chinese immigrant, and Rachel is African-American.
A potent mixture of magic and monsters that never materializes. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8577-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
Magnificent.
Historical guests come to dinner and chaos ensues in this uproarious debut.
Twelve-year-old Javier Santiago’s not doing so well at Finistere, his slightly cool, slightly weird semi-castle of a school in suburban Maryland. He’s at risk of failing sixth grade and falling behind his brainiac, history-obsessed best friend, Wiki. Then comes the annual all-school project: invite three guests, living or dead, to dinner, then write an essay. For a budding chef like Javi, that’s a piece of cake. Trouble arises when Javi uses his family’s magical antique dining room table to accidentally pull his guests into the present day, including the infamous Blackbeard, who escapes before he can be sent back in time. Blackbeard wants to use the table to summon his fearsome crew and enact his plans to take over the modern world. Worse yet, the dreadful pirate is hilariously popping up all over Finistere, working as the school groundskeeper to ensure the success of his sinister plans. With the help of Brady, Javi’s tough-as-nails younger sister, the boys work to take down Blackbeard while uncovering the school’s mysterious secrets. Featuring a diverse cast led by the Puerto Rican siblings and Haitian American Wiki, grand doses of humor, and an irreverent take on some of history’s well-known figures, Piñeiro's book scores with this tale of friendship, magic, and adventure. A breakneck pace and Javi’s colorful narration hold things together as the thrilling zaniness piles up.
Magnificent. (list of characters) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72823-049-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© 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.
