The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities Book Review

 

The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities

New Stories about Mythic Heros

By: Rick Riordan

Disney Publishing WorldWide

Rick Riordan Presents

Children’s Fiction/Middle-Grade

Publish Date 28 September 2021

#TheCursedCarnivalandOtherCalamities#NetGalley

I would like to thank both Disney Publishing and NetGalley for approving me to read this e-arc for my honest opinion.

Good Reads Synopsis

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents ten new stories–including one of his own–about beloved heroes that sprang from the imaginations of some of the best middle grade authors working today.

A cave monster . . . an abandoned demon . . . a ghost who wants to erase history . . . a killer commandant . . . These are just some of the challenges confronting the young heroes in this highly entertaining anthology.

All but one of the heroes previously starred in a popular book from Rick Riordan Presents. You”ll be reunited with Aru Shah, Zane Obispo, Min the fox spirit, Sal and Gabi, Tristan Strong, Nizhoni Begay, Paola Santiago, Sikander Aziz, and Riley Oh. Who is the new hero? Read Rick Riordan”s short story to find out!

Ten bestselling and award-winning middle grade authors contributed to this collection: Roshani Chokshi, J.C. Cervantes, Yoon Ha Lee, Carlos Hernandez, Kwame Mbalia, Rebecca Roanhorse, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Sarwat Chadda, Graci Kim, and Rick Riordan, who also served as the editor.

The cultures represented by these own-voices stories are: Indian, Mesoamerican, Korean, Cuban, Black American, African, Navajo, Mexican, Mesopotamian, and Celtic.

There”s something for everyone in this collection of fast-paced and funny adventure stories that show what it takes to be a hero in any time, setting, and universe.

Read more about the heroes in these best-selling books:

Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Rick Riordan Presents: The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
Rick Riordan Presents: Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Rick Riordan Presents: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
Rick Riordan Presents: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
Rick Riordan Presents: Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Rick Riordan Presents: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Rick Riordan Presents: City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
Rick Riordan Presents: The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim

Book Review.

I gave this book 3 stars overall. There are ten stories in this book, and some received a 4 star and some a 3 star. Now for the stories and the rating I gave them.

1. Calamity Juice By: Carlos Hernandez. I gave this story 4 stars. I haven’t read any of his books but this story fun to read. I now want to go the other stories he wrote with these characters. The characters are able to go to other universes by just relaxing and thinking their way there. This is about them going to find a fellow classmate who was kidnaped by a rainbow unicorn.
2. Beware the Grove of True Love By: Roshani Chokski. I gave this story 3 stars. It was actually the shortest story in the book. This is about Aru who is being taught that love can go the distance but can also be forgotten.
3. The Cave of Doom By: J. C. Cervantes. I gave this story 3 stars. This is about two girls who go on a vacation to spend a few days together before one has to help her father. On their way they go check out an area that is said to have a human child who is being held and no one seems to know about it. They go investigate and find out it is a human at but a demon. They have an interesting time trying to get reid of the demon.
4. The Initiation By: Yoon Ha Lee. I gave this story 4 stars. I actually like this story better than the book. This is where the main character goes to a school to learn how to fight but has to keep her ghost brother a secret and the fact that she can shape shift into a fox. Her trials start before she evens get into the school. Upon her arrival things go hay wire in the dock. Then on day three things really go hay wire. Things are revealed and they learn how to work together to solve them.
5. The Gum Baby Files By: Kwame Mbalia. I gave this story 3 stars. This is about Gum baby who goes on a field trip with two children and then notices a ghost like figure following behind. This is ghost is stealing things to change history. Gum Baby is determined to stop this ghost but doesn’t know how.
6. The Demon Drum By: Rebecca Roanhorse. It is Pow Wow Day, and everyone is going to this big event. All you can hear this one drum, and it is making thing taste funny and people are getting into fights. What is causing all this angry. They discover one of the drums is making a different sound. How is this mystery solved and why is the drum doing this. I gave this story 4 stars.
7. Bruto and the Freaky flower By: Tehlor Kay Mejia. I gave this story 4 stars. Paola’s dog Bruto is sick, and he needs this flower to heal him. This flower is on the banks of a river near her home. It seems like an easy task to retrieve this flower but of course nothing seems as it should.
8. The Loneliest Demon By: Sarwat Chadda. I gave this story 4 stars. This demon was left over from the battle. The gates closed before she could return home. There is no one there to help her return. She goes to the boy who sent them all back to ask for his help. He does try but isn’t able to. She tries on her own and things happen.
9. My night at the Gifted Carnival By: Grace Kim. I gave this story 4 stars. This is about two sisters who go to the carnival for the gifted. All the witches are out, and things happen. They have to save some children before they are taken to the underworld to live the rest of their lives.
10. My Life as a Child Outlaw By: Rick Riordan. I gave this story 3 stars. This is about a boy who is raised by two women out in the forest because his father is killed, and his mother remarries but her new husband doesn’t want him around. He is being chased by his father’s killer and finds himself on the run several different times. On these runs he learns new skills and meet some interesting people.

I enjoyed the book over all even though I usually don’t read short stories. I have read most of these authors before and for the ones I have not I will be picking up the full novels about the characters they talked about.