An enterprising young inventor goes to extraordinary lengths to rescue his kidnapped brother.
With a little luck, some duct tape, mirrors, a laser pointer and an iPod, fifth-grader Alex Trumble is going to turn back the clock and save his brother, who seems to have literally disappeared into thin air along with his kidnappers. Fortunately, Alex is a genius obsessed with breaking the time barrier and seriously well read on the subject. His brother’s kidnapping is the catalyst that propels Alex into action. Failure is not an option. In his first novel for children, Cohen sets the stage for a rollicking time-travel adventure, but in the end, much like Alex’s first few attempts at building a time machine, the story falls flat. Though there are a few suspenseful moments, as when thugs Carl and Little Davy corner Alex and question him about the whereabouts of the “dingus,” they are too few and far between. The third-person narration gets bogged down in the logistics of time travel and time-machine construction, leaving readers distanced from the fear and emotion that drive Alex. Additionally, in the absence of a ransom or a glimpse of his conditions in captivity, it’s difficult for readers to work up a sense of urgency about Steven’s kidnapping.
This emotional disconnect makes Alex's adventure a little less than amazing. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9418-3
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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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
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Will extragalactic rats eat the moon?
Can a cybernetic toenail clipper find a worthy purpose in the vast universe? Will the first feline astronaut ever get a slice of pizza? Read on. Reworked from the Live Cartoon series of homespun video shorts released on Instagram in 2020 but retaining that “we’re making this up as we go” quality, the episodic tale begins with the electrifying discovery that our moon is being nibbled away. Off blast one strong, silent, furry hero—“Meow”—and a stowaway robot to our nearest celestial neighbor to hook up with the imperious Queen of the Moon and head toward the dark side, past challenges from pirates on the Sea of Tranquility and a sphinx with a riddle (“It weighs a ton, but floats on air. / It’s bald but has a lot of hair.” The answer? “Meow”). They endure multiple close but frustratingly glancing encounters with pizza and finally deliver the malign, multiheaded Rat King and its toothy armies to a suitable fate. Cue the massive pizza party! Aside from one pirate captain and a general back on Earth, the human and humanoid cast in Harris’ loosely drawn cartoon panels, from the appropriately moon-faced queen on, is light skinned. Merch, music, and the original episodes are available on an associated website.
Epic lunacy. (Graphic science fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: May 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-308408-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
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