In the vein of the gifted New Zealander's Great Piratical Rumbustification, a pair of fantastical comedies. Bassington lives with his butler on Barleycorn Island; having been left birthday-less by his parents (a burglar and a black sheep), he contrives to steal everyone else's. But, in a series of events recounted with satirical and verbal wit reminiscent of W.S. Gilbert, everyone else (including the butler's 99-year-old erstwhile beloved) wrap themselves as presents, are delivered to Bassington, and conduct a trial in which it develops that he is not condemned to repeat his parent's villainy but only their association with the letter B that cavorts through his story. The Headmistress's wickedness ranges from false eyelashes to multiple marriages and toting a handgun (ironically termed a Peacemaker); she runs a school for wealthy girls, masquerading (with the help of quick costume changes) as the entire staff. There is some nonsense about a volcano that erupts diamond-laced custard, and more complications than could possibly be summarized here. Unabashedly slapstick, Mahy's turns of plot are genuinely funny and appealing; her alliterations, inspired nomenclatures, and irrepressible logic are an engaging demonstration of the delights of wordplay. Chamberlain's line drawings extend the fun. Fine for a read-aloud or a read-alone.
Pub Date: Aug. 31, 1988
ISBN: 0879237201
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Godine
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1988
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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