Likely to be read once at most; still, a handsomely designed offshoot from the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
by J.K. Rowling ; illustrated by Minalima ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 16, 2018
The ruthless Grindelwald escapes to recruit more followers—one in particular—to his genocidal cause.
More a collectible spinoff than a fleshed-out story, the volume frames 120 quick-cut scenes of sparse dialogue and staging directions within swirling art nouveau–style borders, with plenty of similarly elegant spot art featuring occasional small images of magical creatures but no human figures. There are no stills from the 2018 film either, though director David Yates chimes in with a fluffy foreword, and the backmatter includes a vocabulary of staging abbreviations and partial cast and crew lists. The storyline, sketchy as it is in this form, picks up where the previous episode left off—readers will definitely need to have the established characters and events fresh in their minds to keep pace—and, after various side trips, gathers the ensemble (including token Muggle Jacob Kowalski) in Paris for a climactic dust-up beneath Père Lachaise cemetery. As usual in the Potterverse, agendas nearly always turn on family relations or class, so aside from a glancing reference to Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore’s being “closer than brothers” in their youths, the main developments here center on the star-crossed Muggle/magical romance of Jacob and Queenie and the (supposed) ancestry of powerful but ominously impressionable Credence Barebone. Stay, as the saying goes, tuned.
Likely to be read once at most; still, a handsomely designed offshoot from the Fantastic Beasts franchise. (Fantasy. 10-adult)Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-26389-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2018
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by J.K. Rowling
BOOK REVIEW
by J.K. Rowling ; illustrated by Jim Field
BOOK REVIEW
by J.K. Rowling
BOOK REVIEW
by J.K. Rowling ; illustrated by Minalima
by Dav Pilkey & illustrated by Dav Pilkey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 28, 2012
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More In The Series
by Dav Pilkey ; illustrated by Dav Pilkey
More by Dav Pilkey
BOOK REVIEW
by Dav Pilkey ; illustrated by Dav Pilkey with Jose Garibaldi
BOOK REVIEW
by Dav Pilkey ; illustrated by Dav Pilkey with Jose Garibaldi
BOOK REVIEW
by Dav Pilkey ; illustrated by Dav Pilkey
by Alan Gratz ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 25, 2017
In the midst of political turmoil, how do you escape the only country that you’ve ever known and navigate a new life? Parallel stories of three different middle school–aged refugees—Josef from Nazi Germany in 1938, Isabel from 1994 Cuba, and Mahmoud from 2015 Aleppo—eventually intertwine for maximum impact.
Three countries, three time periods, three brave protagonists. Yet these three refugee odysseys have so much in common. Each traverses a landscape ruled by a dictator and must balance freedom, family, and responsibility. Each initially leaves by boat, struggles between visibility and invisibility, copes with repeated obstacles and heart-wrenching loss, and gains resilience in the process. Each third-person narrative offers an accessible look at migration under duress, in which the behavior of familiar adults changes unpredictably, strangers exploit the vulnerabilities of transients, and circumstances seem driven by random luck. Mahmoud eventually concludes that visibility is best: “See us….Hear us. Help us.” With this book, Gratz accomplishes a feat that is nothing short of brilliant, offering a skillfully wrought narrative laced with global and intergenerational reverberations that signal hope for the future. Excellent for older middle grade and above in classrooms, book groups, and/or communities looking to increase empathy for new and existing arrivals from afar.
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense. (maps, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-88083-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Alan Gratz
BOOK REVIEW
by Alan Gratz
BOOK REVIEW
by Alan Gratz
BOOK REVIEW
by Alan Gratz
More About This Book
PROFILES
© Copyright 2022 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.