Another “High flyve!” for the dump’s doughty defenders.
The mighty muscid gets some unexpected help in this rematch with his greatest foe (Super Fly, 2015).
Having left Crazy Cockroach, aka school bully Cornelius C. Roach, squashed under a moon rock in the previous episode, fourth-grade supernerd Eugene Flystein is understandably dismayed when his archenemy reappears at Brown Barge Elementary, roaches being notoriously hard to kill. Furthermore, from a combination lair and clubhouse in a used diaper, Crazy Cockroach begins passing out copies of a strangely addictive video game that brainwashes everyone into voting him class president…to start. Even Super Fly’s sidekick and “pest friend,” Fred Flea, falls under the roach’s spell. Fortunately, Super Fly isn’t left to counter this latest threat to Stinkopolis (and the world) alone, as his snoopy little sister, Elle, finds the very special key lime pie that triggers super smarts and powers and becomes, ta-da! Fly Girl! Slathering his narrative with silly cartoon line drawings and alimentary humor (“Doody calls!”), Doodler caps his latest fetid face-off with a hard-fought game of ping-pong (“suspense hung like a fart inside the diaper”) that leads to well-earned, if temporary triumph. Readers will scent further sequels on the wind.
Another “High flyve!” for the dump’s doughty defenders. (Superhero farce. 7-9)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-61963-382-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2016
This uninspired offering fails to compete well with other fantasies for young readers.
Exploring the wide world, pixies get into a bundle of troubles in this outing for readers already successfully into chapter books.
In this first of a series previously published in the UK, Titch and Mitch are pixie brothers, Titch the eldest by a year and a bit the braver of the pair. They pack up a little food and head off on a series of adventures that take them away from the safe haven of Pixie Valley and out into the human world where they are kidnapped by a schoolboy, then escape on a boat that crashes on an island. There they are befriended by a series of talking animals and rescue a fairy caught in a shrub. She provides them with a magical flying bicycle that they use to visit her, provide some dental services to a mouse-sized dragon and rescue a very smart turkey. Numerous detailed black-and-white sketches accompany these brief episodes and nicely break up text-heavy pages. Character development is nearly nonexistent, and while the brief adventures provide a mild amount of excitement, their superficiality sharply limits the potential impact. Magical elements seem flat and unimaginative. There is no conclusion, merely an abrupt end, where the next tale will presumably begin.
This uninspired offering fails to compete well with other fantasies for young readers. (Fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-9567449-5-1
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Inside Pocket
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Vague martial arts platitudes told but not really taught.
Chua’s energetic cartoon scenes of children in graceful martial arts poses fail to animate this ponderous tale of dissonance in kung fu class.
Rival yellow belts Julie and new student Brandon have thrown one another badly off their rhythms on the mat. Seeing this, their instructor, or Sifu, pairs them up and sends them outdoors for private lessons with his own teacher, Master Zhou—an elderly woman, in a very nice twist. In time, the two students become good partners, regain their mental balance and go on to ace their orange-belt tests. Rather than mention specific techniques, Chin intersperses hyperbolic lines such as “Brandon struck like a lion. Julie soared like an eagle.” Portentous statements include “Though sparks may fly, two blades can sharpen each other,” and “Kung fu means strengthening your own discipline and ability.” In a subplot capped by an anticlimactic, clumsily handled surprise, the author shoehorns in episodes from a parallel-themed martial arts movie for which Master Zhou apparently turns out to have been a technical adviser. Chua’s images of figures with wide, bright eyes—and in Julie’s case, a pink kitty hairpin—add plenty of visual syrup but not enough to make this palatable.
Vague martial arts platitudes told but not really taught. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59702-079-4
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Immedium
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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