A fun read for youngsters that will teach them something along the way.
Young Sophie Washington seeks treasure in Corpus Christi with her best friend and her little brother in Ellis’ middle-grade novel.
Sophie Washington is on vacation during the summer before seventh grade, visiting her grandmother in Corpus Christi, Texas, and spending time at the beach with her little brother, Cole, and best friend, Chloe. Cole is playing with their grandmother’s metal detector when it begins beeping, indicating something in the sand underneath a sand castle Sophie and Chloe just built. That something is a bottle with pennies and a note in it, initiating a mystery-solving adventure that involves following clues to find a treasure. The clues lead the trio (with Granny in tow) to various spots in the city, including a turtle release site; a boat named The Dolphin (captained by the wheelchair-using Mr. Williams) that takes them to a cove to snorkel; the USS Lexington, a World War II aircraft carrier; and, finally, the Ocean Life Center. The group stops at an ice cream shop run by Homer Thomas, whom the children first met on Mr. Williams’ boat. He gives the children their “treasure,” hundreds of pieces of chocolate wrapped in gold foil. This often delightful tale weaves fun facts into the adventure, making the book both educational and entertaining, as when Cole notes, “I read in my animal book that male turtles have long tails, and this one’s tail is short. Also, male sea turtles live mostly in the water, while female turtles come to the beach to nest.” Young readers will come away with a better understanding of sea turtles and their plight, awareness of accessibility issues, and a bit of United States Navy history. They’ll also learn about friendship and family, with Ellis doing a fine job of weaving her lessons naturally into the storyline. The book serves as a bit of a travelogue for Corpus Christi, as it features real locations in the city. This is one of a number of Sophie Washington books, and fans of this entry will certainly want to read others in the series.
A fun read for youngsters that will teach them something along the way.Pub Date: May 16, 2022
ISBN: 9781735338965
Page Count: 155
Publisher: Page Turner Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Not the most satisfying wrap-up, but it’s always good to spend time in the world of this series.
Beloved gorilla Ivan becomes a father to rambunctious twins in this finale to a quartet that began with 2012’s Newbery Award–winning The One and Only Ivan.
Life hasn’t always been easy for silverback gorilla Ivan, who’s spent most of his life being mistreated in captivity. Now he’s living in a wildlife sanctuary, but he still gets to see his two best friends. Young elephant Ruby lives in the grassy habitat next door, and former stray dog Bob has a home with one of the zookeepers. All three were rescued from the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Ivan’s expanded world includes fellow gorilla Kinyani—the two are about to become parents, and Ivan is revisiting the traumas of his past in light of what he wants the twins to know. When the subject inevitably comes up, Applegate’s trust and respect for readers is evident. She doesn’t shy away from hard truths as Ivan wrestles with the fact that poachers killed his family. Readers will need the context provided by knowledge of the earlier books to feel the full emotional impact of this story. The rushed ending unfortunately falls flat, detracting from the central message that a complex life can still contain hope. Final art not seen.
Not the most satisfying wrap-up, but it’s always good to spend time in the world of this series. (gorilla games, glossary, author’s note) (Verse fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780063221123
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
A richly atmospheric page-turner—readers will eagerly anticipate the forthcoming sequel.
Young Seren Rhys stands on the cusp of a new life. Unfortunately for her, the train to her new life is late.
Following the death of her aunt, who saved her from her 12-year stay at the orphanage, she receives word that her godfather, Capt. Arthur Jones, will take her in. Seren spends her wait dreaming of the Jones family and their surely bustling, welcoming manor, Plas-y-Fran in Wales. An encounter with a mysterious man and his more mysterious wrapped parcel (containing the eponymous mechanical bird) leaves Seren reeling, and the mysteries multiply when she arrives at Plas-y-Fran. The place is shuttered and cold, nearly deserted but for a few fearful, oppressively unforthcoming servants. The captain and his wife are away; of their young son, Tomos, there is neither sign nor sound. With the Crow as her only, if reluctant, ally, Seren soon finds herself enmeshed in mayhem and magic that may prove lethal. In her characteristic style, Fisher crafts an elaborate fantasy from deceptively simple language. Seren is a sharp, saucy narrator whose constant puzzlement at others’ consternation over her impertinence provides running amusement. Supporting characters are fascinating if ambiguous players, not so much poorly drawn as poorly revealed, perhaps casualties of the quick pace. The deadened manor, however, provides the perfect backdrop for preternatural forces. Characters are presumed white.
A richly atmospheric page-turner—readers will eagerly anticipate the forthcoming sequel. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1491-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
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