HUTRA

In this middle-grade sequel, a teenager must follow her stepbrother through a space-time portal and rescue him from an alien world.

As the result of her previous escapade, 14-year-old Winnie Harris owns a Frama-scope—a telescopelike device that allows her to locate and widen existing tears in the space-time fabric. When her 6-year-old stepbrother, Mikey, vanishes through a tear, Winnie and 15-year-old Kip Skyler (her annoying magician friend and maybe crush) jump through after him. They find themselves on Hutra, a planet where portals arise periodically but seem to accommodate only one-way travel. Mikey is nowhere to be seen. Instead, Winnie and Kip encounter Nor, a 15-year-old noble, who is searching for a 6-year-old portal castaway (his friend’s brother Kinny). Nor and Kinny come from the Reserve, a walled-off, tightly policed area of Hutra. Nor is an “animal communicator,” which means he can enter animals’ thoughts, speak with them, “and become part of their inner worlds.” Nor is talented, but his scruples put him at odds with the Portal Authority, a powerful agency charged with investigating the portals—and probing any being unfortunate enough to come through. Mikey and Kinny, it transpires, have changed places. Winnie, Kip, and Nor team up, but can they evade the Portal Authority and restore both boys to their homes? Supplee employs an omniscient, past-tense narrative, mostly from Winnie’s or Nor’s points of view. The easily digestible prose moves at an effective pace, lingering overtly on character moments but never to the adventure’s detriment. Winnie and Kip come to the story fresh from their Frama-12 (2022) exploits and aren’t afforded much development beyond their bickering relationship that sometimes seems at odds with their predicament. But Nor starts with a fresh slate and shines as a protagonist—privileged but principled, rebellious but deeply affectionate. His Uncle Trey provides likable support without undermining the teens’ independence. Supplee shows a deft hand at worldbuilding, and Hutra’s intriguing mix of SF and fantasy elements suggests a setting that could sustain additional stories beyond Winnie and Kip’s involvement. Indeed, Nor’s coming-of-age and associated troubles seem more likely to stoke readers’ interest than Winnie and Kip’s straightforward rescue mission. That said, the combined storylines work well together and will keep young readers engrossed to the end.

A safe but sophisticated teen quest fantasy brimming with magical ideas.