Another technological watershed—crossed first by a mouse.
A note on an old scrap of paper leads two intrepid mice to sunken treasure.
As in Kuhlmann’s Armstrong (2016) and Lindbergh (2014), the journey turns out to be at least as rewarding as the prize. Inspired by a generations-old family story, young Pete enlists the help of a pipe-smoking professor at the University of Mice—first to search old records for the location of a certain ocean liner that had sunk in the mid-Atlantic, and then to invent a submarine that will allow them to explore the wreck. “We need to approach the problem scientifically,” says the professor…and so begins a laborious, sometimes-dangerous process of trial and error, of study and experiment. In the pictures, which are rendered with terrific attention to fine detail in equally arresting monochrome and sepia-toned color, mice scamper through human-sized archival files, design a fishlike submarine that takes shape rivet by rivet, then dive past swirling shoals of fish and an immense whale. The minuscule divers emerge in antique-looking gear to enter a shadowy wreck, examine a spill of outsized coins and other wrack, then carry a small chest back to their craft. That chest contains not gold but a diary with diagrams that connect Pete’s ancestor with one of the greatest human inventors of all. The author closes with nods to both Thomas Edison and to several earlier experimenters with claims to the first light bulb.
Another technological watershed—crossed first by a mouse. (Fantasy. 8-11)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4322-6
Page Count: 112
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
A quick read, with plenty of rococo weapons, characters and creatures (notably reindeer).
Streaks of preciousness mar, or at least mark, an “origins” tale framed as a monumental struggle between the King of Nightmares and a Cossack bandit plainly destined for a later career bringing gifts to children on Christmas Eve.
Escaping 1,000 years of captivity, Pitch, the Nightmare King, has sent hordes of Fearlings out to darken the dreams of children worldwide and attacked the happy Siberian town of Santoff Claussen. Orchestrated by Tsar Lunar, the Man in the Moon, a small company sets out to gather the first of five ancient relics that will help defeat Pitch. The band is made up of kindly old wizard Ombric Shalazar (last survivor of Atlantis and inventor of “time, gravity, and bouncing balls!”); his ward, the intrepid young orphan Katherine; a mysterious elfin creature; and, last but not least, Nicholas St. North—an exuberant former bandit chieftain turned inventor who is “no longer a thief of treasures but a buccaneer of fun” thanks to Ombric's tutelage in magic and science. With help from an army of yetis led by the Lunar Lamas (who are quaintly described as “inscrutable” and also look identical in the accompanying illustration), Pitch is fended off in a great battle in the Himalayas, the relic is recovered and it's off to further episodes. Many further episodes, as this is just the opening novel in an ambitious multimedia project dubbed “The Guardians of Childhood.” (The Man in the Moon, 2011, is the companion opening picture book in the project.)
A quick read, with plenty of rococo weapons, characters and creatures (notably reindeer). (Fantasy. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4424-3048-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
Resilient Emma has had to solve more than one predicament in her young life, often creating misunderstandings with her large family, lovable pets and favorite nanny—Annie. This time Emma’s dilemma involves losing the two of the most important things in her life—her best friend Luisa is moving and her favorite horse Rooney, whom she visits often at the riding stable, is about to be sold by its owner. Coming up with ways to prevent or change these two events is easier said than done, even for the resourcefully positive Annie, who can usually hatch a “splendid idea.” Emma comes up with several schemes, from buying the horse herself to warding off a prospective wealthy buyer by purposely causing some ferret-induced horse hysteria at the stable. In the end, Emma’s realization that kindness and love sometimes necessitate difficult decisions helps her solve both issues with true altruism. Hermes’ latest installment in her winning series provides the right amount of humor, suspense and pathos as her young protagonist reaches a new level of emotional growth. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5905-7
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
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