“The breathless plot is rich in riddle-solving, cliff-hangers, hiding from bad guys, lock picking, near death experiences, riding bikes really fast, and comedy. The story is generously illustrated with retro images from old postcards, handbooks, vintage ads, and wonderfully weird photos… An original, deadpan touch that keeps the tone buoyant in this exhilarating, often poignant adventure.”
—The Hornbook
“Henry Every is the loneliest boy in a realm called Timeless Province. Shy by nature, alternately bullied and neglected by his ogre-ish parents, Henry gets some comfort from eavesdropping on the large, lively Dante family next door. Privation hasn’t made Henry jealous or bitter though. As Deb Caletti explains in her delightful middle-grade fantasy caper “A Flicker of Courage” (Putnam, 243 pages, $13.99), Henry is surpassingly kind, the sort of boy who “shudders when people are mean, and feels sorry for the losing team.”
One momentous morning, Henry hears a terrible wail and rushes outside to learn that the capricious Vlad Luxor, ruler of the province, has turned Apollo Dante’s little brother Rocco into a lizard. “Are you sure that’s Rocco?” Henry asks. “I’m sure. Show him, Rocco,” Apollo says, at which point the tiny reptile blows a pink bubble. “I taught him how to blow bubbles last week,” Apollo explains, “and it’s all he’s been doing since.” Soon Apollo and Henry and two girls from their class have banded together to undo the spell on Rocco and thwart Luxor’s self-aggrandizing schemes.
Ms. Caletti’s writing sings with high good humor, so it’s fun to read: Henry trembles inwardly “like a cupboard of dishes during an earthquake”; a book’s fine print looks “as though a tiny ant forgot to wipe his feet before he tromped across the page.” Droll little captioned images throughout—a vintage photo of a man with mutton-chop sideburns, a picture of “An Impressively Tall Jell-O Mold”—add humor to this first installment of a planned series of “tales of triumph and disaster” for readers ages 8-12.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“This fast-paced middle grade debut from YA author Caletti (A Heart in a Body in the World) offers an allegorical message about activism and cooperation.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The hopeful tone [of this conversational series starter] is encouraging, and the focus on the power of knowledge and books may lead readers back to the stacks. . . This magical adventure is a good fit for fans of Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven and Karuna Riazi’s The Gauntlet.”
—School Library Journal
“[A] tongue-in-cheek middle-grade fantasy, [which] fans of the genre will enjoy [as the] sympathetic protagonist who, after years of self-doubt, is thrust into the role of hero.”
—Booklist
“Tongue-in-cheek humor, a hare-brained plot and a rich palette of off-the-wall characters make Deb Caletti’s “A Flicker of Courage: Tales of Triumph and Disaster,” a zany, captivating read… Young readers will relish their wild escapades and the quirky photographs that accompany the story. “A Flicker of Courage” concludes with lots of unanswered questions, which will have fans clamoring for the next book in this new series.”
—The Missourian
