The fourth book cannot come fast enough.
Princess Rowan and her friends find trouble and monsters in equal measure in Armstrong’s latest installment.
Though it seems like Rowan and her close-knit hunting party only just left the Dunnian Woods, they have returned for yet another monster mission—or rather to finish the last one. As royal monster hunter, this responsibility is part of Rowan’s heritage; as a nearly 13-year-old monster and science enthusiast, it is a thrilling opportunity to put her growing knowledge and skills to the test. But something isn’t right. A mysterious catalyst has caused a change in migration patterns as monsters of every type flee an unseen terror—and they’re headed straight for Rowan’s home of Tamarel. Rowan, Dain, Alianor, and some old and new friends make a perilous journey deep into the woods to figure out what could have frightened so many powerful creatures. As the terrible answer steadily becomes clearer, Rowan is faced with the truth that monsters do not have a monopoly on monstrosity. Through Rowan’s first-person narration and natural attention to details, Armstrong immerses readers in her ever deepening external and internal worlds. The effect teeters on disorienting as Rowan’s thoughts flood the pages, but intricately choreographed battles, weighty encounters with politics, and introductions to new monsters (enchantingly rendered in the accompanying illustrated field guide) pace what would otherwise feel frenzied. Characters in this world have a range of skin tones; the citizens of Tamarel are brown-skinned.
The fourth book cannot come fast enough. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: June 8, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7352-7015-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Puffin/Penguin Random House Canada
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
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
Fast-paced and plot-driven.
In his latest, prolific author Gratz takes on Hitler’s Olympic Games.
When 13-year-old American gymnast Evie Harris arrives in Berlin to compete in the 1936 Olympic Games, she has one goal: stardom. If she can bring home a gold medal like her friend, the famous equestrian-turned-Hollywood-star Mary Brooks, she might be able to lift her family out of their Dust Bowl poverty. But someone slips a strange note under Evie’s door, and soon she’s dodging Heinz Fischer, the Hitler Youth member assigned to host her, and meeting strangers who want to make use of her gymnastic skills—to rob a bank. As the games progress, Evie begins to see the moral issues behind their sparkling facade—the antisemitism and racism inherent in Nazi ideology and the way Hitler is using the competition to support and promote these beliefs. And she also agrees to rob the bank. Gratz goes big on the Mission Impossible–style heist, which takes center stage over the actual competitions, other than Jesse Owens’ famous long jump. A lengthy and detailed author’s note provides valuable historical context, including places where Gratz adapted the facts for storytelling purposes (although there’s no mention of the fact that before 1952, Olympic equestrian sports were limited to male military officers). With an emphasis on the plot, many of the characters feel defined primarily by how they’re suffering under the Nazis, such as the fictional diver Ursula Diop, who was involuntarily sterilized for being biracial.
Fast-paced and plot-driven. (Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781338736106
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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