Like Kidd’s faithful crew, readers should follow this battle-tested pirate (with the insecurities and loyalties of a...
A pirate adventure story—rife with ghosts, Native American legends, ancient curses, hidden treasure, and a bogeyman—features a dog-loving boy on a mission.
Fair warning to the squeamish: Winkelstein’s (Brisko: A True Tale of Holocaust Survival, 2014, etc.) middle-grade novel, as narrated by an escaped slave known as the Black Doctor, “is not a soft one.” Death is a constant, gruesome companion, appropriate for a tale of vengeance and its repercussions. Set in 1745, Capt. William Kidd III is a 14-year-old pirate who has marked a course for the Devil—a beastly bogeyman plaguing southern New Jersey—who killed his pappy. Accompanied by a steadfast poodle named Black Dog, Kidd and his devoted crew know the journey will be dangerous, but when the Adventure Galley runs aground in the Batsto River, a terrible fate befalls them. During the turmoil, the Devil kidnaps the pirate’s beloved poodle (Kidd “remembered Black Dog’s howl and those disfigured, mutant feet that had carried her away”). Stranded in the Pine Barrens, Kidd changes his objective from revenge to rescue. The Black Doctor saves the pirate from a squirmworthy fate and offers guidance for unlocking mysteries in the teen’s past. When British soldiers capture Kidd, Tilda McKenzie, a tough local girl who looks cute and kicks butt, helps him escape, leading him toward his father’s hidden treasure. The pirate dialogue (“ ‘That’s the trouble o’ landlubbers!’ cried Bone. ‘Too trustin’!’ ”) feels authentic and immersive, with just a few missteps (“ ‘Ew, Black Dog,’ Kidd said. ‘Gross’ ”). A variety of subplots—the Devil’s back story, Kidd’s parentage, a budding romance, Native American legends, magical treasure, ghostly visitations, even a trip to “Fiddler’s Green”—jumbles the narrative. Although the climax brings all the elements together, the result stretches suspension of disbelief to the limit. Not helping are dei ex machina additions that provide convenient but unnecessary plot devices; Kidd is engaging enough without superpowers. Nonetheless, pages turn quickly in this tightly woven, action-packed tale with unusual twists, real heart, and a surprising conclusion that promises even more wondrous escapades to come.
Like Kidd’s faithful crew, readers should follow this battle-tested pirate (with the insecurities and loyalties of a teenager) to strange and exciting destinations.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9824498-7-5
Page Count: 232
Publisher: Mystic Waters Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Gooney Bird Greene (with a silent E) is not your average second grader. She arrives in Mrs. Pidgeon’s class announcing: “I’m your new student and I just moved here from China. I want a desk right smack in the middle of the room, because I like to be right smack in the middle of everything.” Everything about her is unusual and mysterious—her clothes, hairstyles, even her lunches. Since the second graders have never met anyone like Gooney Bird, they want to hear more about her. Mrs. Pidgeon has been talking to the class about what makes a good story, so it stands to reason that Gooney will get her chance. She tells a series of stories that explain her name, how she came from China on a flying carpet, how she got diamond earrings at the prince’s palace, and why she was late for school (because she was directing a symphony orchestra). And her stories are “absolutely true.” Actually, they are explainable and mesh precisely with the teacher’s lesson, more important, they are a clever device that exemplify the elements of good storytelling and writing and also demonstrate how everyone can turn everyday events into stories. Savvy teachers should take note and add this to their shelf of “how a story is made” titles. Gooney Bird’s stories are printed in larger type than the narrative and the black-and-white drawings add the right touch of sauciness (only the cover is in color). A hybrid of Harriet, Blossom, and Anastasia, irrepressible Gooney Bird is that rare bird in children’s fiction: one that instantly becomes an amusing and popular favorite. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-618-23848-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Walter Lorraine/Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2002
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