Now that she has become a witch, April encounters an unexpected challenge: without ever meaning to do it, she conjures up elephants in her dreams.
The elephants—real ones—roam through April’s neighborhood, sit on cars, eat the trees, and spray swimming-pool water everywhere. It’s chaos, and she’s not allowed to leave the house. Together with her friends Grace and Eve, she consults New Orleanian Eve’s Book of Magie, written in French, to find a solution. They realize that April has dreamed about getting the endangered animals to a safe place and that the dream worked! Now they must somehow sneak out of the house to gather items that April can use in a spell to put the elephants back where they belong, but April’s mom and dad are in the way. Can April get the items she needs, possibly including elephant poop, and work the spell properly? Can she understand the French in her book? And most importantly, will the elephants be all right? Aikens-Nuñez keeps her story light and breezy, milking elephant poop and the elephants’ antics for humor. She never implies any danger for anyone, except that April might get in trouble with her parents if they catch her sneaking out! April is white, Grace is Latina, and Eve is African-American.
A sweet romp for young readers who like humor and magic. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: May 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77168-034-9
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
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BOOK REVIEW
It’s a Bigfeet family reunion!
Everyone’s favorite frosty, furry cryptid, the yeti, actually has a name: Blizz Richards. From his supersecret HQ in Nepal he keeps in touch with his fellow cryptids, all of whom have sworn an oath to keep themselves hidden. That’s not always easy, especially when there are cryptozoologists, like the nasty (but bumbling) George Vanquist, who are always trying to expose the secretive creatures. Vanquist got a picture of Blizz’s cousin Brian near his home in British Columbia, causing the mortified Brian to disappear entirely. When Blizz receives an invitation to a Bigfeet family reunion in Canada, he calls his buddies Alexander (one of Santa’s elves), Gunthar (a goblin) and Frank the Arctic fox to help him get ready. When they arrive in Canada, Brian is still nowhere to be seen. Can Blizz and his skunk ape and other sasquatch cousins find Brian, have the reunion and evade Vanquist? If anyone can, the Bigfeet clan can. Illustrator Sherry’s first volume in the Yeti Files is a fast and funny graphic-prose tale full of labeled pictures and comic-style panels. Those just starting chapter books may have some trouble with a few big words, but they’ll enjoy the big friendly monsters and immediately ask for the next tale—which looks to be about the Loch Ness monster.
Good-hearted fun—great for fans of Kit Feeny and Babymouse. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-55617-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
Categories: CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
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A new series features puppies with magical unicorn horns.
The Cutiecorns are thrilled when they learn that they’re about to have their Enchanted Jubilee, which means they’re ready to start learning how to use their magic. Golden retriever puppy Sparkle gets an extra surprise—her parents celebrate her Jubilee by gifting her a locket that’s a precious family heirloom. As with any book for this age group, as soon as an important item is introduced it’s guaranteed to be promptly lost; poor Sparkle is robbed of it by a mysterious stranger. While investigating, the Cutiecorns overhear a scary story about a bad cat wizard, Claw—and the description fits that of Sparkle’s assailant. They venture off into the Furbidden Forest to find the cat and retrieve the locket. The narration is filled with entertaining wordplay for young pun lovers (“pawsome”; “furever”), and the concept of magical puppies is an appealingly childcentric one. The art is a mixed bag—enormous-eyed puppies with shapes that highlight the various breeds (even Claw, despite pointy claws and teeth, is adorable in a chubby way), but the vaunted horns distractingly look an awful lot like party hats. The story really goes to the dogs and falls apart in a confusing climax that relies on deus ex machina magic and an on-the-spot plan that’s perfectly coordinated without any communication among the Cutiecorns. Book 2, Purrfect Pranksters, publishes simultaneously.
A little ruff around the edges. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: May 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-54036-9
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
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