Another strong entry in a series offering thrills and chills.
Cassidy Blake has encountered spirits before.
She’s met ghosts in Edinburgh and poltergeists in Paris, and now she’s in New Orleans, city of beignets, jazz funerals, and 42 cemeteries, where her parents are filming the third episode of their paranormal investigation program. It’s not long before Cassidy, an in-betweener who has escaped death and as a result can interact with the dead, catches the unwanted attention of an Emissary. This terrifying creature is unlike any spook Cassidy has ever dealt with; its job is to bring those who have defied death to the other side—those like 12-year-old Cassidy. In order to defeat the Emissary, Cassidy will lose something—or someone—no matter the path she chooses. Not knowing which road to follow is frightening, but the scariest thing of all is not knowing how this ends. Armed with her spirit-guiding pendant and accompanied by ghost Jacob Hale (whose foothold in the living world seems to be strengthening) and Scottish friend and fellow in-betweener Lara Chowdhury, Cassidy charges ahead. Intensely curious and furiously independent Cassidy must learn to proceed with caution and know when to ask for help. Her first-person narration is often interrupted by sarcastic Jacob, who can hear her thoughts, a narrative device that adds levity to the scares. The conclusion leaves the door open for another adventure. Cassidy is assumed White; there is diversity in the supporting cast.
Another strong entry in a series offering thrills and chills. (Paranormal adventure. 8-13)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-57487-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic.
A loyal black kitten’s boy is under supernatural attack.
Eleven-month-old Nimbus loves Fletcher, the boy who nursed her back to health following life-threatening injuries. When Fletcher becomes curious about a strange jar and opens it, releasing a terrible goblin, loyal Nim protects Fletcher, taking heavy damage in the process. But Fletcher’s aunt, who’s caring for him over spring break, believes Nim attacked Fletcher and dumps her far from home. Rhett, a stylish rat with star quality, befriends injured Nim and leads her to a witch’s house. While the witch cares for Nim, the witch’s cats (maternal Fern, bookish Rochester, standoffish Bianca, and openly hostile Abraxas) teach Nim important cat skills. She also discovers she has a supernatural ability: In destroying one eye of the nightmare demon in the fight to protect Fletcher, Nim gained its “dream sight.” But she also learns it might come back for Fletcher, who no longer has Nim to protect him, posing a time-sensitive, high-stakes threat. Even though the witch’s home is nice and magic itself seems to be telling her to stay put, Nim wants to find a way back to Fletcher. As a hero, Nimbus is as gritty and determined as she is adorable. Tear-jerker moments explore pet abandonment—readers may want their own pets on hand to hug—all the way through the magical, action-packed finale. Fletcher and the witch read white.
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780062680372
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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