Review by Booklist Review
Marciano, the grandson of Madeline's creator, gets the look and feel of the Madeline books exactly right in his fourth addition to Madeline's adventures. The lives of Miss Clavel and her 12 Parisian orphan-girl charges, who walk, eat, and sleep in two straight lines, are disrupted when the mean-spirited Lord Cucuface makes a surprise inspection visit. Against Miss Clavel's protests, he enters the supposedly haunted attic, where he finds an antique telescope, which he instantly claims. Madeline awakes in the middle of the night to hear ghastly moans from the attic, and states, Something is not right. Madeline and the girls soon discover a bewigged eighteenth-century ghost who says he can never rest until he can view the return of the comet that caused his death centuries ago. The action hurtles along, aided by Madeline's madcap friend Pepito, ending in a very funny revenge on the headmaster and a wonderful resolution to the ghost story. Fans won't want to miss a beat.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Marciano's third Madeline title, he resurrects the mischievous character of Pepito, the son of the Spanish Ambassador who first appeared in Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline and the Bad Hat. It turns out that a ghost haunts the vine-covered Parisian house that Madeline, Miss Clavel, and the other girls inhabit-it's that of the scientifically accomplished man who originally built the dwelling. With a rare comet approaching, Madeline and Pepito conspire to help the ghost rest in peace. Marciano does a fine job of replicating the mood, spirit, and look of his grandfather's much-admired books, while emphasizing themes of mischief and justice in this outing. Ages 3-5. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Madeline and her friend Pepito come to the aid of a sad spirit in this offering from Bemelmans's grandson. Ghoulish groans of "Woo-hoo" from the attic make the orphans and Pepito cry "Boohoo," but Madeline heads off to investigate and says, "Pooh-pooh" when confronted with the apparition of Felix de Lamorte. The former astronomer, who has been waiting 221 years for the return of a comet so he may rest in peace, is devastated because his telescope has been stolen by the head of the school. In ghostly disguise, Madeline and Pepito pay the thief a midnight visit: "Awake! Awake! Lord Cucuface!/and save yourself from foul disgrace!/You've crossed a line that's awfully fine/by taking what is rightly mine." Marciano's full-color illustrations faithfully recreate such iconic images as Miss Clavel and "twelve little girls in two straight lines." The background scenes feature Parisian chateaus and the Seine. Although the rhyming text lacks the accomplished flair of the original books, Madeline's fans will enjoy her adventures.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Madeline and her friend Pepito find and return a telescope belonging to the ghost who lives in the school attic. The story offers much to fans: well-known characters, a mystery, a ghost, and recognizable illustrations and rhymes. The plot won't win converts to the original tales by the author-illustrator's grandfather, but this will satisfy those seeking familiarity. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Much-beloved and as spirited as ever, Madeline is back in Paris to help out a miserable ghost and create a scare of her own intended for the school's headmaster. Marciano (Madeline at the White House, 2011) continues his series of sequels to his grandfather's original works. With gouache, pen and ink, he closely duplicates the style of the classic titles and even includes a number of pages executed in black on yellow. The rhythm of the rhyming text is also reminiscent, as when the action begins with an unexpected visitor: "One afternoon at a quarter past five, / a long black car pulled into the drive." It's Lord Cucuface, who conducts an inspection of the premises and discovers a "most / splendid telescope," which he promptly takes with him. But in the middle of that night, Madeline hears moaning and groaning. It's the ghost of an astronomer, who needs the telescope back in time to observe a comet he's been waiting 221 years to see so that he can rest in peace. The kids help Madeline and Pepito pull off a clever trick that involves a convincing costume and a bit of dramatic theater. Of course Lord Cucuface is scared silly, so that by the final page, "a girl and a boy and a ghost were peeping / at a rare and brilliant sight, / a comet streaking through the night." Encore, Madeline! (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
