As a companion piece, this may be of interest to readers who enjoyed Walters’ previous book; as a plea for humane treatment...
An interesting experiment in collaborative creation and complementary storytelling, this Canadian import falls short as a stand-alone work.
As he did with Catboy (2011), Walters solicited feedback from students as he wrote. Both books feature the same plot but differ in perspective. Hunter, the title character, is a member of a feral cat colony, and the story is told from his perspective. Because the cats don’t understand human speech, readers unfamiliar with the earlier work know nothing of the motivations of the people involved and will likely have trouble following the events. An uneasy mix of anthropomorphism and realistic animal behavior further limits audience appeal. An old raccoon talks like a stereotypical wise teacher, a rival cat is a one-dimensional tough guy, and Hunter’s mate, Mittens, a former house cat, is ridiculously sweet. Her interactions with Hunter are decidedly domestic and extremely affectionate, which contrasts oddly with Hunter’s concern that stress might lead Mittens to kill their newborn kittens. Walters’ writing style is choppy and repetitive, most likely the result of incorporating input from, as he notes, “hundreds of student co-authors.”
As a companion piece, this may be of interest to readers who enjoyed Walters’ previous book; as a plea for humane treatment of feral cats, it’s a somewhat clumsy but obviously heartfelt statement; unfortunately, however, it’s ultimately less than the sum of its parts. (author’s note) (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4598-0157-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: July 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
During a school year in which a gifted teacher who emphasizes personal responsibility among his fifth graders ends up in a coma from a thrown snowball, his students come to terms with their own issues and learn to be forgiving. Told in short chapters organized month-by-month in the voices of seven students, often describing the same incident from different viewpoints, this weaves together a variety of not-uncommon classroom characters and situations: the new kid, the trickster, the social bully, the super-bright and the disaffected; family clashes, divorce and death; an unwed mother whose long-ago actions haven't been forgotten in the small-town setting; class and experiential differences. Mr. Terupt engineers regular visits to the school’s special-needs classroom, changing some lives on both sides. A "Dollar Word" activity so appeals to Luke that he sprinkles them throughout his narrative all year. Danielle includes her regular prayers, and Anna never stops her hopeful matchmaking. No one is perfect in this feel-good story, but everyone benefits, including sentimentally inclined readers. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-385-73882-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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