A wild, imaginative adventure that explores the ends of the world.
Summerhouse's debut is a charming children’s story of adventure and mystery in the least likely of places.
For Orion Poe, life with his grandfather in a small town in Maine is dull and predictable. But his life takes a sudden turn when, one summer night, during a terrible storm, Orion spots a boat with a passenger wash ashore. From the start, Orion and his grandfather see that this is no ordinary man—his nose is purple, as though from frostbite, his clothes are strange and old-fashioned, and he has big scars along his back as though he had been whipped. They nurse him back to health, and they learn that the lost explorer is named Collins. The seafarer speaks of a terror that is coming and spends his nights screaming from nightmares. He asks Orion to hide a box for him. In no time at all, a frightening pack of angry men come hunting for a box that belongs to John Franklin, an explorer who vanished in the Arctic in 1847. After consulting with professor Meriwether, a knowledgeable expeditionist, Orion and his grandfather learn that the container holds a map that will unlock the mystery of what happened to Franklin. Meanwhile, Meriwether, his friend Hinckley and young Orion will travel to the top of the world to get to the bottom of the story. Told in the convincing voice of an 11-year-old, this easy-to-read tale engages and often fascinates. Weaving in historical facts about a vanished explorer adds texture and educational value to an already entertaining and wonderful read. Orion is a smart, fun-loving boy whose bravery and humor make him a timeless hero alongside Huckleberry Finn. Recommended for any young reader who loves adventure.
A wild, imaginative adventure that explores the ends of the world.Pub Date: May 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9860614-0-0
Page Count: 275
Publisher: Shake-A-Leg Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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