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32 pp.
| Scholastic/Fickling
| July, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-338-18949-0$17.99
(4)
K-3
Rhyming text (sometimes awkwardly) tells of a rocket that shoots into space once a year to deliver a "Happy Birthday World" banner. The immersive, retro-style illustrations use bright colors contrasted against dark expanses of outer space; a final gatefold depicts fireworks surrounding Earth on one side and the solar system on the flip side. An author's note contributes more information about the age of our planet.
(1)
4-6
Ten-year-old Fidge, feeling responsible for her little sister Minnie's serious injury, is sucked into Wimbley Land, the embodiment of Minnie's imaginative life (based on her favorite book and peopled with stuffed toys). Sensible, energetic, resilient Fidge must locate Wed Wabbit, Wimbley Land's new dictator (really Minnie's toy rabbit), and return him to Minnie. This laugh-out-loud, inventive tale wears its messages lightly and keeps its satire and slapstick bouncy.
Reviewer: Sarah Ellis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2018
(3)
YA
Grey Land series.
Nessa and Anto survived their Call (The Call), both escaping the horror-filled realm of the Sídhe (wicked fae) both physically altered. The young lovers look forward to a peaceful future, but their romance is stalled by a more terrifying prospect: the Sídhe invading real-world Ireland. Book two of the series continues the page-turning terror and visceral trauma as a desperate nation faces supernatural war.
64 pp.
| Scholastic/Fickling
| April, 2017
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-606-40153-1$19.65
|
PaperISBN 978-1-338-13274-8$8.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-338-15077-3
(4)
4-6
The title character and his henchmen, Number 8 (a sharply dressed octopus) and Eugene (a diminutive abominable-snowman clone), engage in various plots to take over the world. Their plans fail in spectacularly silly ways due to their collective ineptitude. This graphic novel uses bright colors and copious panels (some cramped) to emphasize the silly nature of the group's "evil" deeds.
54 pp.
| Scholastic/Fickling
| January, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-1-338-08934-9$18.99
(4)
4-6
This browsable compendium highlights twenty-three less-familiar mammals, including the numbat, solenodon, and Speke's pectinator. Each two-page entry includes a box of basic facts (size, diet, habitat, endangered status, and region map), cartoony illustrations, and a cheekily narrated text that sometimes gets in its own way in an attempt at humor. Overall, this is a diverting introduction to some unusual creatures. Glos.
(3)
4-6
In this British import, secondary school is uncomfortable and even scary for Alex, who tries to avoid being bullied by simply not reacting. His neighbor David is also bullied, and David's ambiguous notes to Alex and other students--boasting "a boy is going to fly!"--turn out to be a drastic coping strategy. Realistic from a tween's first-person perspective, and ripe for discussion.
(4)
YA
While goth teenager Jess is recovering from a violent hate attack, her best friend, Eden, loses her older sister to a car crash. When troubled Eden goes missing, Jess desperately searches the hills of their Yorkshire hometown for clues as she reminisces about their frayed friendship. Jess and Eden's story is tenderly told but suffers from too many story lines.
(3)
YA
Biracial British teen Garvie Smith (Running Girl) has a Sherlock Holmes–like intellect but is a lazy underachiever on the verge of flunking out. He becomes fixated on solving the murder of an autistic classmate, much to the chagrin of recently demoted Inspector Singh. High tension, skillful pacing, surprising plot twists, and intelligent yet flawed characters combine for an intriguing second mystery.
(4)
YA
Lily, the daughter of a groundskeeper at a British country estate, is inexplicably drawn to Antony, the aristocratic family's son, who challenges and emboldens her but is also consistently selfish. Starting in the 1920s, the story traces their friendship over decades. Peyton's writing successfully evokes the historical setting, but the relationship between the two main characters feels dated and one-sided.
160 pp.
| Scholastic/Fickling/Graphix
| May, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-1-338-14912-8$19.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-338-16659-0
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Fred Fordham.
Intersecting story lines and a large cast of characters swirl around John Blake and his time-hopping ship the Mary Alice. Pullman's first original graphic novel is a narrative of corporate greed, murder, and collusion. Cinematic illustrations, a strong sense of atmosphere, and liberal deployment of panels carry much of the storytelling. Readers searching for a rollicking comic adventure will be thoroughly satisfied.
Reviewer: Patrick Gall
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2017
(3)
YA
Middle child Mia can't live up to older sister Grace's academic success or younger sister Audrey's Olympic prospects, so she'll be a hard-partying ne'er-do-well instead. When Grace's unplanned pregnancy is celebrated, Mia goes down a self-destructive path at home, at school, and with her friends. This UK import features an endearingly flawed protagonist and a quirky, mixed-race family with a unique dynamic.
(2)
YA
Illustrated by
Dave Shelton.
This unsettling collection of eight ghost stories, framed by a ninth, will surely delight fans of the eerie and the macabre. A boy boards the wrong train and, lost, gets off at the next stop; he's soon joined by an old man who begins to tell a series of creepy stories. De Quidt gradually escalates the tension until a final, gut-wrenching twist.
Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2017
32 pp.
| Scholastic/Fickling
| March, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-0-545-83321-9$17.99
(4)
PS
Hearing scary monster sounds before bedtime, young Richard flees and finds himself in a "magical jungle," surrounded by benign wild creatures. When the monster approaches, Richard's stuffed toy lion comes to life and guides him through wondrous adventures that ultimately help Richard muster the courage to confront his fears--with a cathartic, kid-pleasing roar. Dramatic, luminous, fanciful illustrations elevate a clumsily constructed story.
(3)
YA
Set in a gritty, unnamed English city, this murder-mystery (first in a projected series) posits a modern-day Sherlock Holmes: a brilliant but chronically underachieving biracial teen named Garvie Smith. He teams up with a reluctant Inspector Singh to solve the murder of Garvie's ex-girlfriend. The suspenseful pacing and tantalizing accumulation of clues will keep readers turning pages; the identity of the killer comes as a surprise.
310 pp.
| Scholastic/Fickling
| August, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-338-04561-1$18.99
(3)
YA
One by one, the teenagers of Ireland are called to the nightmarish Grey Land of the Sídhe (wicked fae). The teens reappear after only three minutes, but with magically misshapen bodies--or dead. Readers follow a class of fourteen-year-olds, including Nessa, with polio-twisted legs, as they experience the Call in a grisly and gripping plot reminiscent of Battle Royale.
(3)
YA
During the Civil War, twelve-year-old Samuel is sold into slavery by the head of his orphanage home. Faking illiteracy to survive, Samuel grapples with the paradoxes (such as a friendly master) of life within an inhuman system and dismantles his ideas of right and wrong, a process rich with religious underpinnings. Memorable characters portray the complexity of slavery in this hard-hitting tale.
519 pp.
| Scholastic/Fickling
| September, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-545-81978-7$18.99
(2)
YA
Translated by Laura Watkinson.
In this 1962 Dutch classic, young squire Tiuri abandons his vigil on the eve of being knighted to aid a wounded knight by secretly delivering a letter to the distant king of Unauwen. Orderly prose describes a journey of refreshing unpredictability and unusual wisdom. The unhurried style and sustained narrative perspective give the tale a lucidity enhanced by author-illustrator Dragt's occasional black-and-white illustrations.
Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2015
294 pp.
| Scholastic/Fickling
| June, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-545-81664-9$18.99
(2)
YA
This (brutally violent) retelling of the Robin Hood legend is a richly imagined emotional and physical adventure for Robin, Marian, and the audience. Seven-year-old Robin Loxley is abandoned in the woods, but--already a masterful woodsman--he survives. He encounters a privileged, bold young woman; the pair becomes inseparable. Supernatural elements give the plot surprises beyond the traditional Robin-versus-Sheriff conflict.
392 pp.
| Scholastic/Fickling
| September, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-545-83308-0$17.99
(3)
4-6
While working in his bullying uncle's tavern, half-goblin orphan Joseph Grubb stumbles upon a smuggled magical artifact. Thrust into a dangerous world of thieves and witches, Joseph teams up with a motley vigilante group to keep the relic out of the wrong hands. An effective blend of swashbuckling pirate tale and fantasy, this entertaining debut will leave adventure seekers eager for more.
(2)
4-6
Lonely Francis meets Jessica; he's the first person who's been able to see or hear her since she died a year earlier. Soon they are joined by tough newcomer Andi and withdrawn, overweight Roland. Without shying away from the bullying and despair that affect his young characters, Norriss balances moments of sadness and pathos with others of joy and humor.
Reviewer: Monica Edinger
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2015
22 reviews
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