Lightweight and likable.
An indoor-loving wizard cat must return a library book.
Wizkit, a charmingly triangular feline cyclops with a taste for carbs, lives with Teacher Magus, a long-haired dog who suggests that the cat not use magic for everything and that she occasionally leave the house. Magus assigns Wizkit the task of returning an overdue library book. Book is a silly, friendly, sentient volume with limbs and, as Wizkit quickly discovers, completely blank pages that transport the duo into new adventures. First, they encounter a dragon stranded in a dry riverbed and must help it by stopping a frog who has dammed up the river and created a pool, where they charge fish for admission. Then, in a less compelling part of the adventure, they assist some mice, who freeze up when exposed to light, in return for a magical lantern. Finally, they encounter a three-headed bird, bickering triplets who are having trouble working together to build a hot air balloon. Wizkit, whose cynical edges have been gradually worn away by her companion’s enthusiasm, and Book are able to help the triplets and, as thanks, get a ride in the flying machine to the library. Though Wizkit’s growth is lovely, the narrative is at times didactic, with characters delivering heavy-handed statements about trying new things and learning from others. Still, this graphic novel uses colorful, legible cartoons to show off the fantastical, silly world, and the text is generally short and punchy, ideal for newly independent readers.
Lightweight and likable. (behind the scenes art development) (Graphic novel. 7-10)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781665900836
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
An uneven story collection about kids with big imaginations.
On winding, twisting Cattywampus Street, anything can happen, and magic is in the air.
The diverse children who live on and around the street are constantly getting in and out of scrapes. Rodney, a White-presenting child with two mothers, makes a pet out of a rock that just might return his affection. Jamal, who appears Black, saves his money to buy a magical ball with a star on it. Charlotta, a White girl, conjures a dollhouse big enough for her whole family to live in simply through the power of her wishes. A homeless, apparently orphaned boy named Bob finds a family when he turns into a frog (he is never depicted in human form), and a hungry White boy named Hans is tricked by an evil stranger posing as his mother who feeds him so many waffles that he turns into one. “A Very, Very, Very Sad Story” lives up to its title when Asian-presenting Evelyn’s entire family dies on the same day (fortunately, it is only temporary). In their strongest moments, these short stories are whimsical and surprising, with twist endings that are sometimes silly, sometimes spooky, and sometimes both. Throughout, the author addresses readers directly. At times, the intimacy of this voice makes the tales feel even more enjoyable. Unfortunately, more often, the asides break the flow of the stories, interrupting the magic of the well-rendered world.
An uneven story collection about kids with big imaginations. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12756-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
A compromise tale any kid assigned a group project should understand.
In the same world as the Enchanted Pony Academy series, royal merchildren partner with magical seaponies in the elite Royal Mermaid Rescue Crew.
Princess Nixie’s excited for Selection Day, when she and her fellow Rescue Crew School classmates choose a partner from the Enchanted Seapony Academy. Nixie’s long awaited the day she’ll be a full member of the Rescue Crew, and though she doesn’t know which seapony’s the best match for her, she knows who isn’t: Rip, top of the seapony class but disliked for his rigid adherence to rules and preference for work over fun. When the ceremony comes, though, Nixie draws to pick last, leaving her with…Rip. Seeing his distress and confusion at his last-place selection, Nixie does her best to be positive about their partnership. She seeks common ground through shared adventure, but he’d rather study their rule book. Nixie’s nearly ready to refuse the match when she hears a distress call from her two best friends—stranded where they shouldn’t be—and so she rushes to rescue them. Luckily for her, Rip follows and the two work together—combining her flexible thinking-on-her-feet with the valuable information from his scholarship—gaining understanding and becoming a true team. This intelligent treatment of the emotional dynamic helps to mitigate the tendentiously sparkly worldbuilding and thin characterizations. Nixie appears with lavender hair and light skin on the cover; publishing simultaneously are three other titles in the series, each fronted by a different member of the diverse Royal Mermaid Rescue Crew: Cali Plays Fair, Cascadia Saves the Day, and Lana Swims North.
A compromise tale any kid assigned a group project should understand. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: March 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-26697-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
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