Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over the Moon, by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Candlewick, 2014, 240 pages. Age/interest level: 9-13
The magical car seems to be flying for the last time in this latest installment of her time-traveling adventures (following Chitty
Sometimes, hard decisions must be made, and the Tootings and Pottses are faced with a doozie: do they do the right thing, take Chitty back into the past, and undo a wrong? By undoing it, they will also undo the Tootings’ own experiences with Chitty—without even a memory left. This sacrifice on the Tootings’ part would be immense. But, doing the right thing often does call for sacrifice. And community often helps us survive those sacrifices. A terrifically fun read, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over the Moon is light sci-fi, full of quirky characters, nicely diverse, and very British.
• Worldview/Moral value: 3.5 (out of 5)
• Literary value: 3.75
Operation Bunny (Wings & Co. #1), by Sally Gardner, illustrated by David Roberts. Henry Holt, 176 pages. Age/interest level: 8-12
English quirkiness is on full display here, in a lighter-then-air story with some clever lines, notably from Fidget (“Twiddle my whiskers and call me a tuna”). I don’t believe any of it is meant to be taken seriously; it has some of the charms of Flora & Ulysses without the underlying message. But the series is young, and may develop a little weight over time. Who are Emily’s real parents? Who is the lost magician? What’s Harpella’s backstory? So far the series seems a harmless diversion as long as the sensitive reader is not haunted by an exceptionally ugly witch.
• Worldview/moral value: 3.5
• Literary value: 3.5
See our earlier reviews of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Flora & Ulysses. The Larklight series also might be categorized as “light science fiction.” And speaking of bunnies, check out Mr. and Mrs. Bunny for another fun read.
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