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BLEAKWATCH CHRONICLES

TINKER BELL AND THE LOST CITY

A pleasurable offering for readers eager for more Disney fairy content.

New fairy adventures await underground in London.

One day, as Tinker Bell combs the Never Land beach for neat “lost things” from the human-populated Mainland, she makes an amazing discovery—a mechanical, fairy-size flying vehicle that runs on pixie dust—and its fairy pilot is still inside! Though she’s been hurt in the accident and can’t speak, Elmira communicates by writing and drawing. She’s from the Mainland (where fairies rarely live), and she’s lost something precious. Never one to pass up an adventure, Tink repairs the ship and flies to London to investigate. There she meets the Flutterpunks, a crew of scavenger fairies, and barters some of her stash of pixie dust for their help with her search. Tinker Bell’s eyes are opened to this secret population of fairies who have adapted to survive near humans by using “shadow-talents” and “dream-talents.” But there’s trouble brewing for their community of Bleakwatch. Fans of the Disney Fairies franchise will appreciate this steampunk-flavored series opener with new content that extends the universe. This novel fits right into the canon and yet offers its own original narrative that fills a niche for audiences who have moved on from the books for younger readers. The new Flutterpunks characters are interesting and gruffly endearing; they’re described as diverse in skin tone, and their leader, Quin, uses they/them pronouns. Tinker Bell presents white.

A pleasurable offering for readers eager for more Disney fairy content. (map, cast of characters) (Fantasy. 8-13)

Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024

ISBN: 9781368098625

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Disney Press

Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024

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THE WILD ROBOT PROTECTS

From the Wild Robot series , Vol. 3

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.

Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.

When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023

ISBN: 9780316669412

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023

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NIMBUS

A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic.

A loyal black kitten’s boy is under supernatural attack.

Eleven-month-old Nimbus loves Fletcher, the boy who nursed her back to health following life-threatening injuries. When Fletcher becomes curious about a strange jar and opens it, releasing a terrible goblin, loyal Nim protects Fletcher, taking heavy damage in the process. But Fletcher’s aunt, who’s caring for him over spring break, believes Nim attacked Fletcher and dumps her far from home. Rhett, a stylish rat with star quality, befriends injured Nim and leads her to a witch’s house. While the witch cares for Nim, the witch’s cats (maternal Fern, bookish Rochester, standoffish Bianca, and openly hostile Abraxas) teach Nim important cat skills. She also discovers she has a supernatural ability: In destroying one eye of the nightmare demon in the fight to protect Fletcher, Nim gained its “dream sight.” But she also learns it might come back for Fletcher, who no longer has Nim to protect him, posing a time-sensitive, high-stakes threat. Even though the witch’s home is nice and magic itself seems to be telling her to stay put, Nim wants to find a way back to Fletcher. As a hero, Nimbus is as gritty and determined as she is adorable. Tear-jerker moments explore pet abandonment—readers may want their own pets on hand to hug—all the way through the magical, action-packed finale. Fletcher and the witch read white.

A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023

ISBN: 9780062680372

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023

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