Escape from Hat by Adam Kline

Abstract

Reviewed by: Escape from Hat by Adam Kline Kiri Palm Kline, Adam Escape from Hat; illus. by Brian Taylor. Harper, 2020 [176p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-283997-8 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-06-283998-5 $7.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-7 Every human is followed by two animals: a loving rabbit who brings them good luck and an irksome black cat who gives them bad luck. There’s a rivalry between the bunny, Leek, and the feline, Millikin, who follow young Cecil Bean, and when Millikin realizes he can use his power to neutralize Leek, the rabbit is imprisoned in the sunless world of Hat (named for a legendary sorcerer’s hat). Leek isn’t the first rabbit to fall into the realm of darkness that the black cats call home, and, with the help of warrior she-rabbit Morel, he sets off to infiltrate the cats’ tower and return to Cecil Bean. Leek is the Frodo Baggins of Hat, relying on the kindness of strangers and Morel’s fearsome blade while hiding his own heroic value until the climax. Kline’s prose features a fair share of advanced vocabulary and plenty of clever quips (“Legends speak of the perils that await within,” Morel claims at one point. “What sorts of perils, precisely?” Leek responds. “The legends,” Morel replies ominously, “are unspecific”). Fans of Lemony Snicket will jump for this fresh fantasy world and its cast of fearsome furballs. Final edition will feature intermittent full-color illustrations. [End Page 307] Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois