The Deadly 7

April 25, 2016
British film and music video director Jennings makes his children's book debut with this globe-trotting, playfully preposterous, mystery-adventure. Nelson, a shy 11-year-old, sees his life unravel when his older sister, Celeste, goes missing during a school trip to Spain. Nelson is sent to stay with his eccentric Uncle Pogo, a handyman, while his parents attempt to locate her. Paranormal chaos ensues as Nelson and Pogo, working on a plumbing problem at St. Paul's Cathedral, discover a secret room where Nelson falls onto a contraption that triggers the seven deadly sins inside his soul; they manifest as a crew of misfit monsters who accompany him everywhere. The creatures and their unusual talents play an integral role as Nelson embarks on his own search for Celeste. Jennings weaves magic, humor, and a generous amount of suspense into a story that, at its heart, focuses on familial love and loyal friendship. The silliness of the plot is amplified by Jennings's wiry black-and-white line art, and a peek at the key characters' whereabouts at book's end suggests that another outing could be in the offing. Ages 8â12.

January 1, 2016
With help from seven loyal but decidedly iffy companions, 11-year-old Nelson sets out to rescue his kidnapped older sister. Said companions are no less than embodiments of the seven deadly sins, extracted from Nelson's soul by an old device discovered in St. Paul's Cathedral. Jennings casts them as invisible (except to Nelson) monsters with names like Nosh (gluttony), Miser (greed), and, um, Stan (wrath). The news that Nelson's beloved half sister, Celeste, is presumed dead after disappearing in an explosion leaves him overwhelmed with grief. But the sins stoutly insist that she's still alive, and so off he goes--passing, with their boisterous assistance, through Heathrow's security and onto a jet bound for Brazil. The hilariously hectic journey ends in a climactic battle with fish monsters evolved in a poisoned wellspring of the primordial water of life, where Celeste is being held. Rather than pull all of these allegorical elements together, though, the author just dumps them in an untidy heap, portraying the sins (except in one brief scene) as comical sidekicks who are there to provide essential help. He chucks in frequent silly line drawings that depict the sins as Monsters, Inc.-style creatures and Nelson as white. References to toxic farts, poo, slime, dead rats, and like disgustibles are par for the course. Muddled but fun, with a notably subversive premise. (Fantasy. 11-13)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-Delightful and inventive, this original story entertains at every turn. On the face of it, Nelson Green seems to be an average 11-year-old Londoner, but then his 16-year-old sister, Celeste, goes missing in Spain, and he worries that it happened because she gave him her lucky necklace. When his parents leave to help search for Celeste, Nelson is sent to stay with his eccentric Uncle Pogo, who, following a devastating accident, gave up on being a rugby player and now plies his trade as a most unusual plumber. The resourceful Pogo has made his own ingenious prosthetic leg that is outfitted with multiple gadgets including a fully functioning phone. Working at the top of St. Paul's Cathedral, he enlists Nelson's help to crawl into a tiny room to fix a plumbing issue. While fixing the pipe, Nelson loses his balance and falls backward onto a table covered in metal spikes. Little does he know, but when he fell on the table, he activated the seven copper test tubes hidden beneath the table and what was in the test tubes is now alive and growing. The contents bubble over, and some strange and horrible-looking creatures come to life. Luckily, the seven little monsters are of the helpful, friendly variety. They and Nelson embark on a wild and wacky adventure to get Celeste back. Hilarious, madcap action combined with rich language will keep readers rapidly turning pages. Pen-and-ink sketches supplement this highly imaginative book that is part mystery, part adventure, and total fun. VERDICT A great purchase for middle grade fiction collections in need of clever, laugh-out-loud fantasy/adventure.-Laura Fields Eason, Parker Bennett Curry Elementary School, Bowling Green, KY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2016
Grades 3-6 There's really no good time to learn that your older sister (and favorite person in the world) has gone missing. For 11-year-old Nelson, this harsh news greets him just before his entrance in the school play, while he's crouched in a box and dressed as Hitler. After a disastrous performance, he finds himself bundled off to his weird Uncle Pogo's, while his parents fly to Spain to help search for Celeste. Shell-shocked, Nelson arrives at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, where his plumber uncle is working. While tracking down a leak, the pair discovers a hidden room full of ancient machines, one of which Nelson falls against, only to have it extract seven deadly sins from his soul, incarnated as monsters that only the boy can see. Together, this oddball team sets out to bring Celeste home. Glib narration, ridiculous scenarios, a magical pendant, and toxic fartsall illustrated in squiggly spot artwill keep kids who like off-the-wall humor happily turning pages. Silliness prevails in Jennings' debut, but Nelson's genuine concern for his sister gives it heart.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)