Sniffing around for an adorable, exciting, and thoughtful tale? This doggy detective delivers.
When the Golden Chew Bone mysteriously goes missing, Sweet Pea the dog is on the case.
Sweet Pea resides in the town of Parkville, where several animal species live harmoniously… mostly. She enjoys painting, eating out of the garbage, and learning about her family history. She’s never solved a mystery before, but when the Golden Chew Bone disappears before the Parkville Art Museum’s celebration of its return (the bone had been on loan to another museum), Sweet Pea is asked to use her strong sniffing abilities to find it. Dogs regularly visit the museum to chew on the bone; it keeps their teeth clean but somehow never gets any smaller. Dental problems among Parkville dogs are now on the rise, but with the help of newcomers Jelly and Casper and insight from her great-aunt Petunia’s stories, Sweet Pea gets to work. These characters and this town feel bursting with more stories to tell; readers will be grateful that this charming and smartly crafted mystery is just the start of a new series. Varon’s cute, brightly colored, bold-lined, and immediately recognizable art style is inviting and appealing, while chapter breaks make the story accessible and contribute to the narrative’s momentum. While the mystery is delightful, this story goes deeper thematically—which is made clear when Sweet Pea exclaims, “Everyone has a different perspective based on their own experiences.”
Sniffing around for an adorable, exciting, and thoughtful tale? This doggy detective delivers. (information on Varon’s character inspiration) (Graphic mystery. 7-12)Pub Date: May 28, 2024
ISBN: 9781250348401
Page Count: 208
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
Not the most satisfying wrap-up, but it’s always good to spend time in the world of this series.
Beloved gorilla Ivan becomes a father to rambunctious twins in this finale to a quartet that began with 2012’s Newbery Award–winning The One and Only Ivan.
Life hasn’t always been easy for silverback gorilla Ivan, who’s spent most of his life being mistreated in captivity. Now he’s living in a wildlife sanctuary, but he still gets to see his two best friends. Young elephant Ruby lives in the grassy habitat next door, and former stray dog Bob has a home with one of the zookeepers. All three were rescued from the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Ivan’s expanded world includes fellow gorilla Kinyani—the two are about to become parents, and Ivan is revisiting the traumas of his past in light of what he wants the twins to know. When the subject inevitably comes up, Applegate’s trust and respect for readers is evident. She doesn’t shy away from hard truths as Ivan wrestles with the fact that poachers killed his family. Readers will need the context provided by knowledge of the earlier books to feel the full emotional impact of this story. The rushed ending unfortunately falls flat, detracting from the central message that a complex life can still contain hope. Final art not seen.
Not the most satisfying wrap-up, but it’s always good to spend time in the world of this series. (gorilla games, glossary, author’s note) (Verse fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780063221123
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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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