Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew
Grade 1–4—When Nurk opens a letter addressed to his grandmother, Surka, his first concern is that he has committed mail fraud. After discovering his adventurous grandmother's journal, in which she vowed to take risks, his second thought is that he should return the missive. He builds a boat out of a snail shell and heads down the river. He discovers that the letter was sent by the Princess of the Dragonflies, soliciting Surka's help. The king informs Nurk that the prince needs rescuing from Grizzlemole, an oversize blind mole and a generally terrible creature. Nurk bravely takes on the quest and, with help from passages in the journal, succeeds fairly easily. Each chapter includes an undistinguished heavy-line black-and-white ink drawing. Vernon's writing shows some flair, but overall the story's effectiveness is hampered by some slow parts and a plot that relies on predictable contrivance and coincidence.—Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MOCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.