Moon Dance

Starred review from August 8, 2011
In this thrilling middle-grade debut, first in the Wereworld series, British author/illustrator Jobling (the designer of the Bob the Builder TV series) creates a memorable new setting in which were-creatures rule. When Drew’s mother is attacked by a monster, Drew’s true nature as a werewolf is unleashed. Driven from his home through a misunderstanding, he goes on the run, finding trouble around every corner. As the last of the royal werewolf line, Drew has been marked for death by the werelion Leopold, who currently rules the Seven Realms. Trying to stay alive, with a wereboar scholar and a feisty werefox princess-to-be as his unlikely allies, Drew careens from one adventure to the next, almost accidentally sparking a revolution against the corrupt leaders of his nation. Jobling’s characterizations are solid, his world-building is complex and fascinating, and the combat scenes are suitably exciting. The book’s themes are familiar—lost prince in exile, voyage of self-discovery, young heroes rebelling against injustice and evil—but Jobling uses them to tell a thoroughly enjoyable adventure that makes particularly inventive use of its shape-shifter elements and mythology. Ages 10–up.

August 1, 2011

When a monster breaks into his house and kills his mother, and his father accuses him of the murder, 16-year-old Drew Ferran must leave home and find his own way in the world.

Drew lives in the wilds, and it turns out that not only does he not know where home is any longer, he doesn't really know who he is, though he has long suspected there's more to him than he had imagined. For Drew is a therianthrope, a lycanthrope, the last of the Werewolves, and in his land of Lyssia, there are many kinds of Werelords heading noble households—the Werestag, the Wereboar, the Werebadger, even the Wererat. But it's a kingdom ruled by King Leopold the Lion, who is ever eager to kill Drew and end the line of wolves. Jobling's debut initiates a sure-to-be-long series of Wereworld tales, pure fantasy adventure with plenty of horror in the mix. Though the writing is sloppy, with no shortage of wordy and awkward sentences, readers will no doubt be zipping along too quickly to notice. Familiar themes of home, identity, destiny, friendship, loyalty and taming the beast within will satisfy lovers of fantasy.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011

Gr 6-8-This book starts with a classic fantasy opening: an oh-so-ordinary teen lives with his parents and brother on a remote farm. Odd how he doesn't look like anyone else in his family. Note his amazing ability to sense and understand animals. Then... the scent of a predator on the wind, a violent storm, and suddenly the boy, known as Drew Ferran, undergoes a strange transformation as he tries and fails to save his mother from an unknown beast. Forced to flee by his vengeful father, who thinks that his son is the murderer, Drew hides in the forest until he is captured by the villainous werelords. It will come as no surprise to readers that Drew is a werewolf, and not just any werewolf but the son of the murdered werewolf king. To win his rightful place, he must battle many werecreatures, including werelions and wererats, and ally with many others, including wereboars and werebears. The story is lengthy and bogged down with too many interchangeable characters. The writing is pedestrian; as a whole, the book feels as if it were put together by a marketing team. Still, with a promotional campaign designed to outpace its flaws, this lackluster fantasy may find an audience among avid genre fans.-Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2011
Grades 5-7 In a world-class change of pace, the creator of the kids' TV show Bob the Builder crafts a conventional but at times rousingly gory heroic fantasy. Sixteen-year-old Drew believes himself to be an ordinary farmer's son until a horrible ratlike creature rips out his (supposed) mother's throat, and his own body undergoes an agonizing partial transformation. As it turns out, Drew lives in a land governed by therianthropes (shape-shifters), and in the course of adventures with a menagerie of were-creatures ranging from bear and lion to shark and giant serpent, he also discovers, as the last surviving werewolf, a loftier heritage. Shape changing aside, the characters are all well-worn types: in the case of the female leads, one is a tomboy and the other the sort of sharp-tongued, headstrong princess who needs multiple rescues. The setting is a typically two-dimensional feudal society. Still, there are plenty of brutal fights for action lovers, and the quest has some stirring moments. Give this series opener to fans of Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)