nonfiction

“[Tris’] romance with Tobias is achingly tender and
passionate, and her friends and enemies alike display a realistic
spectrum of mixed motivations and conflicted choices.”
from insurgent
what they do. The next day, a big sign appears: “NO RACING!
by order of Duck (in charge of pond).” Soon he forbids the kingfishers
from fishing and the frogs from diving, and more signs
appear forbidding, well, everything. Then Duck realizes all his
friends have gone off to more congenial surroundings. Shedding
a tear, he takes down all the old signs and welcomes everyone
back to do what they do. The ring-necked hero decides being
in charge is “much too hard” and is hardly ever bossy again.
The illustrations are Popsicle-colored and gently exaggerated,
and each creature is utterly anthropomorphized: Goose leaves
sporting a fetching lavender scarf and a bead-handled purse;
one frog has reading glasses, and another feeds her baby from a
bottle; the dragonflies come in pastel colors and silly grins.
Despite the forced whimsy of the illustrations, the
book positively reeks of a Lesson to be Learned, so it is just
about as much fun as Duck. (Picture book. 4-7)
THE PERFECT PRESENT
Roberton, Fiona
Illus. by Roberton, Fiona
Putnam (40 pp.)
$16.99 | Jun. 1, 2012
978-0-399-25773-5
Spot the duck became Henry’s pet
when he disguised himself as a dog in Wanted:
The Perfect Pet (2010), and in what initially feels like a cruel twist of a
sequel, he seems at risk of displacement by Henry’s new pet.
Henry eagerly anticipates his birthday, and Spot is excited
about gifting him a fishing rod. But then Henry’s grandparents
give him “A Dog!” and poor Spot feels pushed aside. Forlorn, he
leaves Henry a note and, suitcase in wing, decides to return to
his “egg house.” Spot strikes a pathetic figure as he attempts
a stormy river crossing, only to get stuck on a branch. When
Henry wakes and reads Spot’s farewell note, he and Dog leave
to find him, Henry donning red boots and a jaunty, green scarfand-cap
set. Dog heroically dives into the river to rescue Spot,
but he sinks “like a stone,” prompting Spot to dive in to save
him. Luckily, Henry has his trusty new fishing rod, and with “a
strange Ffwwiiiiiiiiizzzzz Plop” he catches Spot’s collar and
pulls both pets ashore. Their reunion is made even sweeter as
Henry wraps his scarf around Spot’s neck and persuades him
to accept Dog as a “Perfect Pet” they can share. Throughout,
friendly, cartoonish line drawings employ minimal setting,
humorous detail and ample expressive power.
Utterly charming. (Picture book. 4-7)
DEADWEATHER
AND SUNRISE
Rodkey, Geoff
Putnam (304 pp.)
$16.99 | May 29, 2012
978-0-399-25785-8
Series: The Chronicles of Egg, 1
This promising new series starts out
strong with a story filled to the brim with
pirates, treasure, intrigue and swashbuckling
suspense.
On his 13th birthday, Egg’s entire family is lost in a hot-air
balloon accident. Egg lives quite comfortably for a while with
the wealthy Roger Pembroke and his family, including his spunky,
dreamy daughter Millicent. Then, one awful day, Egg realizes that
his benefactor was responsible for the death of his family and is
now, in fact, trying to kill him as well. Corrupt and exploitative
Pembroke has discovered that there is a Native treasure on the
ugly fruit plantation owned by Egg’s family, and he is desperate
to find it. What does Egg have on his side His wits and courage,
a strange best friend named Guts, the questionable loyalty of the
misfit pirates who once worked for his father and, perhaps most
significantly, Millicent. Readers will really begin rooting for Egg
after his family—who is actually pretty awful to him—is killed off
and he is left to discover his strengths and make his own choices.
Self-deprecating and funny, Egg’s first-person account is compelling,
and the dialogue and vivid setting, as well as the full cast of
quirky characters, make it easy to get lost in this adventure.
Fans of pirates and perilous quests will certainly enjoy
this tale of hijinks on the high seas and eagerly anticipate
the next installment of Egg’s story. (Adventure. 9-14)
LONE BEAN
Ross, Chudney
Amistad/HarperCollins (208 pp.)
$15.99 | PLB $16.89 | Jun. 26, 2012
978-0-06-166011-5
978-0-06-166012-2 PLB
A spunky young character takes a
complicated path to find her place in
school, but she stumbles along the way.
Unfortunately, so does the author.
With her debut effort, Ross brings
readers Chrysanthemum, better known as Bean. It’s the start of
the school year, and Bean can’t wait to see her best friend Carla
and get third grade started. But almost immediately, Bean discovers
that nothing is as she’d imagined. Most significantly, Carla no
longer wants to be friends. The story conveys Bean’s struggle to
find her place in her family with sisters Rose and Gardenia and
at school, facing down the class’s biggest bully, Tanisha. It’s obvious
that Ross cares about her character and her struggles. But the
book moves slowly, and at 197 pages it feels much too long for kids
Bean’s age. Those children comfortable with length and reading
level may well not be interested in reading about a third-grader.
Inconsistent language is jarring, making Bean feel like a girl anywhere
from 6 to 16. Not to mention, Bean’s epiphany will leave
kids with wrinkled foreheads, asking, “Huh”
In the end, the book fails to deliver a story that stands
out or characters who stand apart. (Fiction. 8-12)
INSURGENT
Roth, Veronica
Katherine Tegen/
HarperCollins (544 pp.)
$17.99 | $9.99 e-book | May 1, 2012
978-0-06-202404-6
978-0-06-211445-7 e-book
Series: Divergent, 2
In this addictive sequel to the acclaimed
Divergent (2011), a bleak post-apocalyptic
Chicago ruled by “factions” exemplifying
different personality traits collapses into all-out civil war.
With both the Dauntless and Abnegation factions shattered
by the Erudite attack, Tris and her companions seek refuge
with Amity and Candor, and even among the factionless.
But the Erudite search for “Divergents” continues relentlessly.
They have a secret to protect—one they fear could prove more
catastrophic than open warfare; one they will slaughter to keep
hidden... Rather than ease readers back into this convoluted
narrative, the book plunges the characters into immediate danger
without clues to their current relationships, let alone their
elaborate back stories. The focus is firmly on the narrator Tris,
who, devastated by guilt and grief, reveals new depth and vitality.
While taking actions less Dauntless than recklessly suicidal,
she retains her convenient knack for overhearing crucial conversations
and infallibly sizing up others. Her romance with
Tobias is achingly tender and passionate, and her friends and
enemies alike display a realistic spectrum of mixed motivations
and conflicted choices. The unrelenting suspense piles pursuit
upon betrayal upon torture upon pitched battles; the violence
is graphic, grisly and shockingly indiscriminate. The climactic
reveal, hinting at the secret origins of their society, is neither
surprising nor particularly plausible, but the frenzied response
makes for another spectacular cliffhanger.
Anyone who read the first book was dying for this one
months ago; they’ll hardly be able to wait for the concluding
volume. (Science fiction. 14 & up)
DRAGONS LOVE TACOS
Rubin, Adam
Illus. by Salmieri, Daniel
Dial (40 pp.)
$16.99 | Jun. 14, 2012
978-0-8037-3680-1
The perfect book for kids who love
dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid!
Did you know that dragons love tacos They love beef tacos
and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and
tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons,
tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker
comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their
inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature,
after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So
when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a
weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes
with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons
to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which
more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden
in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and
as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make
the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork
is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent
of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)
SILENCE
Sagara, Michelle
Daw Books (256 pp.)
$17.99 | May 1, 2012
978-0-7564-0742-1
Series: Queen of the Dead, 1
A girl in mourning for her dead boyfriend
learns that she has a power over
the dead that may endanger her own life.
Emma visits her boyfriend’s grave in
the cemetery often. While walking her
dog one night, she meets Eric there and has a terrifying encounter
with a ghostly crone who kisses her. Thereafter Emma can
see the dead, and if she touches them, others can see them too.
Eric and his friend Chase work for an agency that tracks such
beings, and they believe she has become a necromancer, one
who can steal power from ghosts. Chase elects to kill Emma,
but Eric, although he agrees, opts to wait. Meanwhile, Emma
has sensed the ghost of a little boy who died in a fire, and she
insists on rescuing his spirit from that ongoing hell. Sagara
concocts an interesting and original premise but seems most
concerned with explaining precisely how Emma’s paranormal
powers work. She tends to philosophize or to indulge in such
extensive detail during the suspense scenes that she creates
diversions from the action. Thus, the suspense often takes
a back seat to exposition. Nevertheless, a few tension-filled
870 | 15 april 2012 | children’s & teen | kirkusreviews.com |
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