TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
Béka Illus. by Crip Papercutz (48 pp.) $10.99 | Jul. 23, 2013 978-1-59707-423-0 Series: Dance Class, 5
Adventures are in store for three friends both in dance class and on a trip to Russia. Julie, Lucie and Alia enjoy going to parties and learning new routines. There’s an African celebration dance that Alia aces, while all three sign up for a swing dance class that has, unusually, “more guys than girls.” Here, Alia dreams of being partnered by the cute boy who is not even the boy of her dreams. Other vignettes feature a school choreographer who cannot find any inspiration and just tells the students to improvise. The high point is a trip to St. Petersburg to dance with Russian students in a performance of The Nutcracker. Some unusual turns, jetés and arabesques revolve around a Russian dancer, now a plump seamstress, who has not performed in 40 years. Throwing her into a role is no doubt meant to be a humorous plot thread, but it is not at all probable and none too kind. Still, this is another enjoyable Dance Class romp, though the cartoon art feels cramped and would benefit considerably from a much larger trim size. The author and illustrator duo introduced the girls in So You Think You Can Hip-Hop (2012). Quick-paced, graphic-novel fun for preteens. (Graphic novel. 8-12)
SMASH Trial By Fire
Bolton, Chris A. Illus. by Bolton, Kyle Candlewick (160 pp.) $18.99 | Sep. 10, 2013 978-0-7636-5596-9
In this webcomic’s print opener, a 9-year-old acquires superpowers but still has issues, such as his fear of heights and the difficulty of sneaking out of the house at night to fight crime. Without acquiring visible muscle, Andrew suddenly finds himself superstrong and supertough after the long career of Defender, the superhero he worships, comes to a sudden end in a mighty explosion. Discovering that ambition and a dorky homemade outfit doth not a superhero make, with some practice, Andrew nonetheless takes up some skills. He learns how to fly without running into things (deservedly acquiring along the way his moniker, “Smash”) and to survive blasts and bullets while nabbing robbers and other malfeasants, costumed or otherwise. Unfortunately, he still has school, a mercurial big brother, parental rules and a bully problem (which he’s savvy enough not to try solving the simplest way). That’s not to mention the Magus, an archvillain out to regain the transferable superpowers he claims the Defender stole from him years ago. |
The Boltons provide easy-to-follow panels filled with action, wide eyes, banter (“Not another step or it’s bye-bye puberty!”), and comically exaggerated differences between the puny (looking!) caped crusader and his much buffer adversaries. Smash battles his way through robots and other minions to a climactic and rousingly destructive, if inconclusive, climax that, natch, paves the way for sequels. Three cheers for the underdog. Maybe in future episodes he’ll acquire better homework habits. (Graphic fantasy. 9-11)
THE MORNING STAR
Bridges, Robin Delacorte (288 pp.) $17.99 | $10.99 e-book | $20.99 PLB Aug. 27, 2013 978-0-385-74026-5 978-0-375-89903-4 e-book 978-0-385-90831-3 PLB Series: Katerina Trilogy, 3 The Katerina Trilogy wraps up with a sometimes-confusing but action-packed
climax. Necromancer Katerina still yearns to attend medical school, but she satisfies her need to learn medicine with the tutelage of a Tibetan physician. She is at least partly motivated by her desire to cure her supernaturally afflicted love interest, the czar’s son, George Alexandrovich. When the czar informs her that he approves of her marriage to George, it seems like a dream come true, until he also tells her that she cannot study medicine. Complex paranormal conflicts, set up in the first two books, now become even more labyrinthine, which may make readers wish they had created a score card while reading the previous two works. The Light and Dark Russian courts are at odds with each other, and an evil, undead pretender to the throne, Konstantin, has occupied the vampiric body of Danilo, a crown prince who attempted to forcibly marry Katerina in The Unfailing Light (2012). He—they?—kidnaps her and takes her to Egypt on a quest for an immensely powerful sword. Bridges has built a believable and flawlessly depicted world that effectively combines historical fact and paranormal fiction in this smart, romantic adventure. Characters remain well-realized, but multiple intrigues already set up in the trilogy make it impossible for this work to stand alone. Recommended for sophisticated readers who enjoy a fully immersive paranormal experience. (Paranormal romance. 11 & up)
kirkus.com
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children ’s
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teen
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15 june 2013
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