Review by New York Times Review
TRUCKS ROLL! By George Ella Lyon. Illustrated by Craig Frazier. Richard Jackson/Atheneum. $14.99. (Ages 4 to 7) This ode to things in motion - sometimes outlandish things like huge chocolate chip cookies and giant rabbits - doesn't always scan perfectly, yet it will be great for reading aloud with any small child who loves big trucks. Frazier's gleaming, saturated colors evoke classic travel posters and include visual jokes his audience will appreciate, like giant bunny ears silhouetted at a truck stop. THE GAME. By Diana Wynne Jones. Firebird/Penguin. $11.99. (Ages 12 and up) The powerful device at the center of this novella is the dangerous game played by a houseful of headstrong children: though forbidden by their parents, they have learned to enter the "mythosphere" and to ride the strands in and out of the world's folk tales and ancient myths, bringing back trophies. Hayley, an orphan, is taught to play the game by her wild cousins and discovers she's good at it - perhaps good enough to save her parents who, it turns out, are trapped there. Wynne Jones, the author of the Chrestomanci series and "Howl's Moving Castle," is an expert at mixing fast-paced action with thought-provoking situations. THE CIRCUS IS COMING. By Hilary Knight. Golden Books/Random House. $15.99. (Ages 3 to 9) A reissue of a book that has been out of print for almost 30 years. Somewhat reminiscent of Knight's classic "ABC" (which remains out of print), this "picture parade" offers a pageant of comical potbellied figures like the "acrobatic chimpanzees flying on the high trapeze" and includes a spread that was cut from the original, featuring South American llamas, gauchos and dancing girls. FABLEHAVEN: RISE OF THE EVENING STAR. By Brandon Mull. Illustrated by Brandon Dorman. Shadow Mountain. $17.95. (Ages 9 to 12) The second novel in a series about a brother and a sister who stumble upon an enchanted refuge called Fablehaven and become enmeshed in a world of magical creatures. This time the evil Society of the Evening Star is after an artifact hidden in Fablehaven, and the siblings, Kendra and Seth, must outwit the society to survive. Mull's awkward writing sometimes underscores the overfamiliar plot mechanics of the two-children-save-the-world fantasy, but his story offers unexpected twists and entertainingly scary creatures. CATCHING THE MOON. By Myl Goldberg. Illustrated by Chris Sheban. Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $16.99. (Ages 4 to 8) In this delightful fable, a woman goes fishing for the moon to complain about the tides - too high - and, to her surprise, she catches him. " 'What is it?' she grumbled to the round-faced man who appeared at her door. 'Sea cucumber sandwich?' he gleamed in reply." In a spare, humorous style, Goldberg ("Bee Season") tells a layered story that invites rereading. On dimly lit pages Sheban's golden pictures, done with watercolors and Prismacolor pencils, give off a dream-like glow. JULIE JUST ON THE WEB: STONE AGE SAGAS Read an interview with Michelle Paver and hear an excerpt from "Wolf Brother" read by Ian McKellen, at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 27, 2009]
Review by Horn Book Review
Each double-page spread is a celebratory tribute to a circus act--clowns, tumblers, bareback riders--including some questionable cultural stereotypes (""Elegant, exotic Africa!"") and many scantily clad performers. This edition includes a new spread on South America (""Land of...the untamed Amazon!""). There is essentially no story, but Knight's illustrations are reminiscent of art deco posters, and the glamorous paintings offer much to look at. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Hilary Knight's pastel fantasy applies a slick, synthetic gloss to the cheap showiness of a circus extravaganza. Cloying and tawdry as they are, both his strutting, spangled performers and the bouncy audience children who mix with them on fancy, double-page stage sets have more flow and ebullience than the participants in Sedgwick's Circus ABC (below): where Sedgwick's crowded circus scenes overload and bore the eye, Knight's might entice it to follow the action. But they don't reward the effort, for Knight's energy is as artificial as the stereotyped, exotic sex kittens who flit and slither through the acts. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
