A trilogy opener that will grant readers’ wishes for an accessible, enchanting, action-packed fantasy.
A 12-year-old British boy finds ancient magical lamps and unknowingly restarts a centuries-old supernatural conflict in the latest from former U.K. Children’s Laureate Coelho.
Relic Hamilton, who has Jamaican heritage and wears his hair in a tapered Afro, lives in London with his grandfather above Anansi Antiques, the Soho shop that’s been in their family for generations. It’s filled with treasures that Grandfather collected during his world travels. One day, when Relic is polishing metal objects in the basement, he accidentally releases a powerful evil genie from a brass lamp. Grandfather gets hurt, and Relic is swept up in a clandestine society of genie hunters. Time and space are upended as he’s pushed to his limits, searching for answers about what’s expected of him—a bullied kid who’s trying to save his grandfather and maybe even the whole world. Each short chapter opens with a few stanzas of poetry that set up Relic’s adventures and provide a sampling of award-winner Coelho’s talents as a poet. The momentum of the storytelling, We’s full-page and spot art illustrations, and the combination of prose and poetry come together to create a portrait of an unlikely hero that unfolds in a fantastic middle-grade voice. Readers will arrive at the end impatient for the next series entry. Final art not seen.
A trilogy opener that will grant readers’ wishes for an accessible, enchanting, action-packed fantasy. (illustrated character profiles) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781536247978
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read...
When a lock-in becomes a reality game, 12-year-old Kyle Keeley and his friends use library resources to find their way out of Alexandriaville’s new public library.
The author of numerous mysteries for children and adults turns his hand to a puzzle adventure with great success. Starting with the premise that billionaire game-maker Luigi Lemoncello has donated a fortune to building a library in a town that went without for 12 years, Grabenstein cleverly uses the tools of board and video games—hints and tricks and escape hatches—to enhance this intricate and suspenseful story. Twelve 12-year-old winners of an essay contest get to be the first to see the new facility and, as a bonus, to play his new escape game. Lemoncello’s gratitude to the library of his childhood extends to providing a helpful holographic image of his 1968 librarian, but his modern version also includes changing video screens, touch-screen computers in the reading desks and an Electronic Learning Center as well as floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stretching up three stories. Although the characters, from gamer Kyle to schemer Charles Chiltington, are lightly developed, the benefits of pooling strengths to work together are clear.
Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read is a winner for readers and game-players alike. (Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-87089-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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