By the end, both characters and readers have had a workout; the latter will hope for more
The ruler of a kingdom of one and a runaway princess join forces in this agreeable sword-and-sorcery graphic novel.
Zora, in tattered skirt, furry boots and winged headband, is on an unauthorized mission of peace to the far-off Peryton clan, but when she gets to their mountain she finds only Broxo, in mail shirt, fur cape and earrings. Broxo is alone—and has been for years—but for Migo, a horned, catlike behemoth. The two young teens don't exactly hit it off, but Broxo takes pity on the lost princess, and besides, he seems happy for the company. The blasted landscape is also home to Ulith, an inscrutable, sometimes helpful witch; Gloth, a maned, wolflike monster; and the creepers, terrifying zombielike things that have a closer relationship to Broxo than he realizes. Giallongo's glossy panels are dominated by swampy grays, browns and greens, shifting in palette and clarity subtly to signify scene changes and flashbacks. Zora and Broxo have considerable chemistry, often-acerbic banter giving way to more intimate, heartfelt exchanges. Their adventures are well-paced, balancing humor with terror and continually ratcheting up the stakes toward a bloody, mythic climax. The story borrows freely from familiar fantasy and adventure tropes, but it is far from derivative, delivering both action and emotional depth with assurance.
By the end, both characters and readers have had a workout; the latter will hope for more . (Graphic fantasy. 10 & up)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59643-551-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: First Second/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense.
In the midst of political turmoil, how do you escape the only country that you’ve ever known and navigate a new life? Parallel stories of three different middle school–aged refugees—Josef from Nazi Germany in 1938, Isabel from 1994 Cuba, and Mahmoud from 2015 Aleppo—eventually intertwine for maximum impact.
Three countries, three time periods, three brave protagonists. Yet these three refugee odysseys have so much in common. Each traverses a landscape ruled by a dictator and must balance freedom, family, and responsibility. Each initially leaves by boat, struggles between visibility and invisibility, copes with repeated obstacles and heart-wrenching loss, and gains resilience in the process. Each third-person narrative offers an accessible look at migration under duress, in which the behavior of familiar adults changes unpredictably, strangers exploit the vulnerabilities of transients, and circumstances seem driven by random luck. Mahmoud eventually concludes that visibility is best: “See us….Hear us. Help us.” With this book, Gratz accomplishes a feat that is nothing short of brilliant, offering a skillfully wrought narrative laced with global and intergenerational reverberations that signal hope for the future. Excellent for older middle grade and above in classrooms, book groups, and/or communities looking to increase empathy for new and existing arrivals from afar.
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense. (maps, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-88083-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
PROFILES
A sly, side-splitting hoot from start to finish.
The dreary prospect of spending a lifetime making caskets instead of wonderful inventions prompts a young orphan to snatch up his little sister and flee. Where? To the circus, of course.
Fortunately or otherwise, John and 6-year-old Page join up with Boz—sometime human cannonball for the seedy Wandering Wayfarers and a “vertically challenged” trickster with a fantastic gift for sowing chaos. Alas, the budding engineer barely has time to settle in to begin work on an experimental circus wagon powered by chicken poop and dubbed (with questionable forethought) the Autopsy. The hot pursuit of malign and indomitable Great-Aunt Beauregard, the Coggins’ only living relative, forces all three to leave the troupe for further flights and misadventures. Teele spins her adventure around a sturdy protagonist whose love for his little sister is matched only by his fierce desire for something better in life for them both and tucks in an outstanding supporting cast featuring several notably strong-minded, independent women (Page, whose glare “would kill spiders dead,” not least among them). Better yet, in Boz she has created a scene-stealing force of nature, a free spirit who’s never happier than when he’s stirring up mischief. A climactic clutch culminating in a magnificently destructive display of fireworks leaves the Coggin sibs well-positioned for bright futures. (Illustrations not seen.)
A sly, side-splitting hoot from start to finish. (Adventure. 11-13)Pub Date: April 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234510-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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