Gargantis

Starred review from March 1, 2020
Legend says that St. Dismal rescued Eerie-on-Sea from Gargantis, a supernatural storm threatening to destroy the coastal village; centuries later, the storm is back. Herbie Lemon, Lost-and-Founder of the Grand Nautilus Hotel, has a well-founded fear of the ocean. It's tested when his imperious employer appoints him the one to decide who owns a fish-shaped glass bottle engraved with undecipherable Eerie Script. Professional beachcomber Mrs. Fossil found and claims it; Dr. Thalassi wants it for his museum; Eerie's fisherfolk insist that because St. Dismal, Eerie's first fisherman, invented the script, it's theirs; young Blaze Westerley hopes it's a clue to his uncle's disappearance. When Violet Parma, whose curiosity invariably overrules Herbie's caution, persuades him to open the bottle, what's inside leads them to Gargantis. As stormquakes shatter the rock beneath Eerie, terrifying hotel guest Deep Hood, face and body concealed (except for a snaking tentacle), bribes the fisherfolk to destroy Gargantis using Herbie as bait. Smart, impulsive Vi (who's biracial, with a black father) and thoughtful, steadfast Herbie (white, like most of the other characters) are well matched. The book-dispensing mermonkey and oracular cat from opening volume Malamander (2019) return in key roles. Underlying all the fun is a gentle, unforced message about life's interdependence. Human, animal, and mechanical characters (especially the charming hermit crab) are a winning assortment: enchanting or horrifying, quirky or droll, invariably original. Enticing mysteries remain to be solved. (Most art was unavailable for review.) Evocative settings, ingenious plotting, sly humor, and shivery suspense render this sequel an unmitigated delight. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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March 15, 2020
Grades 5-7 In this sequel to Malamander (2019), young (supposed) orphan Herbert Lemon is tasked with saving his town of Eerie-On-Sea and another terrifying but vulnerable sea monster. Being in charge of the Lost and Foundery at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, Herbert is used to receiving the odd false nostril or bloodstained candlestick. But the arrival of a mysterious bottle with a sprightning trapped inside (think Tinkerbell with an electric charge) tests the limit of his determination to reunite lost items with their owners?because the sprightning has been stolen from Gargantis, a humongous flying storm-fish whose restless searches are subjecting the town to an escalating series of destructive gales and wall-cracking stormquakes. Fortunately, Herbert has several allies, notably pushy but clever Violet Parma and Clermit, a small but well-armed clockwork hermit crab, to help him quiet the monster but keep it alive. Said quest bears fruit, but only at the climax of a suspenseful narrative awash in old legends, secret codes, strange local characters, and hints of startling revelations to come. Finished illustrations not seen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2020

Gr 5-7-In the opening scene of this sequel to Malamander, a dark and stormy night brings a sinister new guest to the Grand Nautilus Hotel who delivers a strange object to Lost-and-Founder Herbie Lemon-a spiky mechanical shell which scuttles about and plays a sea shanty. This launches Herbie and his spunky friend Violet on a perilous adventure. When a fish-shaped bottle with a mysterious light inside washes up on the beach at Eerie-by-the Sea, it is left in Herbie's care since both Mrs. Flotsam and Dr. Thalassi claim it for their respective enterprises. In pursuit of a fair decision as to who should have it, the young sleuths find themselves on a wild boat journey to find the source of a violent storm, personified as Gargantis, which is threatening the life of the town. Vividly drawn characters and setting, delicious humor, and Herbie's intimate second-person voice contribute to a thoroughly enjoyable story with many twists and turns-though Malamander readers might wish for a few more clues as to how Herbie came to wash up onshore in a lemon crate as a child and just what happened to Violet's parents who were somehow lost at sea. Black-and-white illustrations and a map appear liberally throughout. VERDICT Readers will gobble up this supernatural seaside adventure and eagerly await the next in the series.-Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

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