Pixie Van Dimple is super delighted! The children’s book has been reviewed by Kirkus, which is the best thing ever!
Just to give some background into why this is such a monumental event, this is a review of Kirkus and how much kick they have got!
Kirkus Reviews is a publisher that has become synonymous with the gold standard of book review. But, in spite of its name, it doesn’t just do book reviews! It is actually a literary magazine headquartered in New York City that has been going since 1933, publishing not only book reviews, but also interviews, articles, and author, reader, and industry perspectives. Why is it so revered? Well, it is a big player. Massive. In fact, it is the global industry leader of book reviews. A glowing Kirkus book review can do wonders for your book – if you are graced with a good one, which, as I’ll explain, can be hard to come by.
MASSIVE !!!!!!! REVERED !!!!!! GOLD STANDARD !!!!!! IN NEW YORK !!!!!!
So a review from Kirkus is something to aspire to as an author and here I am reading my review!
I consider my review to be a good one.. have a look for yourself …
The review can be read on the Kirkus website here
I read this a few times and was overwhelmed by the reference to me as ‘The London author’ with a distinct ‘comedic tone’ telling an ‘action packed story’. What more could you wish for?
The ‘frequent interjections that throw off the scansion’ are deliberate to contrast with the lyrical flow and bring the reader back to reality. They feature in all the stories, to add a bit of humour and take away any stuffiness!
I am aware that the illustrations are bold and colourful but maybe dumb down the graphic images described in the text. I imagine that all readers have their own visions inside their minds, in their imagination of what the ‘monster’ would look like and it would be very interesting to explore this by engaging the children in a collaboration – to draw what THEY see and feel when they read the book. Really THINKING about it, as I intended. The story is a cautionary tale and it is intended to raise awareness about ocean plastics and pollution, and also to expand the discussions to waste in general, but also consumption (note how Kirkus mention not only trash, but garbage & dump in their review). Ultimately thinking about how we can deal with plastic pollution, be more sustainable and aim for a more circular economy is the message. So Yes! it does ‘highlight an environmental problem’ !
Pixie and her sister Trixie are left in the background in the story to absorb all that is going on around them, and the gravity of the situation, and we pick up their trail when the danger has passed. Pixie in her usual gladiatorial pose at the end chooses the ‘right’ path instead of the ‘wrong’ one and sets out to change the world for the better! Educating and highlighting issues to children all across the globe! For as the last line in the book says :
‘Will you help Pixie to find a solution to the plastic problem and
STOP this environmental cataclysmic disaster happening AGAIN???
BECAUSE IT WILL. . . AND VERY SOON!!’
It was very much NOT the end of the story!
The vocabulary is challenging in places, which is a GOOD thing – a reference to a ‘sensitive dermis’ for example can be explained as ‘itchy skin’ ….a bit like an allergic reaction like an insect bite maybe.. or putting something bad on your skin.
I noted that Kirkus decided to identify the characters in the stories by ‘indentity, and/or race’ as is their policy, so describe the family as ‘White’. The appearance of the characters is not described in the story so this is an interpretation of the illustrators and could be the interpretation of the reader.. it has no bearing on the story…. what are your thoughts?
I am over the moon with this review, what do you think?
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Lynn McAllister 