In the first installment of this four book series, Madsen spins a fantastical tale of time travel, talking animals, daring adventures and Pig Latin.
Brother and sister team Jake and Alexa Moustachio band together to unlock the mysteries of a world hidden on the other side the magnifying glass. While rummaging in the attic for signs of their overly particular cat Rex, the children hear a voice calling to them from across the glass. The Bell of Time has been stolen and Delbert, the Keeper of Time, needs their help to find and return the bell to its rightful place in the clock tower at the Museum of Time. Unbeknownst to the Moustachios, they are Angelik Arkeepers of the Universe; they have been chosen to watch over all and protect the secrets of the universe from those who seek to do harm. As Jake and Alexa search the castle for clues, they meet a host of talkative characters, run from ghostly suits of armor and even play an impromptu game of checkers. To tell their story, Madsen often employs Pig Latin in dialogue and chapter titles, which only results in stopping the flow of the narrative. Unlike the nonsense words used for the spells uttered in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, Pig Latin is decipherable and the frequent need to pause and decode words takes readers out of the story. Moreover, characters pop in and out of the tale at a rapid pace, leaving readers with a disjointed sense of plot and purpose. The book would do well to draw more attention to the moose head, the baron and the dueling bakers in later books in the series. Madsen’s enticing premise would benefit from further characterization and world building as the Moustachio siblings adventure onward into this parallel universe. An imaginative, if uneven, journey for fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Spiderwick Chronicles.
Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2012
ISBN: 978-0983048701
Page Count: 144
Publisher: little m books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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