Sumptuous worldbuilding and deft plotting make for a harrowing dystopian story that nevertheless thrums with hope.
After an encounter with a sinister stranger, a young girl strikes out on her own.
Feather was born into a community perched high atop an ancient Wall, surrounded below on all sides by the malevolent Forest that threatens to swallow up their home. Supplies are dwindling; eager to map her strange world, Feather steals her people’s only spyglass and brings it to a new arrival named Merildun in the hopes that he’ll help her. Instead, he shoves her off the Wall. She resolves to get the spyglass back, and as she sets out in search of Merildun, accompanied by a scaly ferret companion, she encounters community after community of previously isolated human encampments spread out along the Wall—and learns that cooperation may hold the key to everyone’s survival. In a scant 128 pages, Hardinge immerses readers in a world of dangers and wonders, where nature isn’t neutral but actively hostile, waging an eternal war against the few remaining humans. The author makes adept use of lush imagery, which comes to the fore when her protagonist must dive into the Forest proper at last. Though the book contains echoes of classic children’s dystopias such as Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s Below the Root (1975), Hardinge’s lavishly imagined setting is wholly original. Gravett’s ink drawings temper the horrors but none of the magic. Most characters are pale-skinned.
Sumptuous worldbuilding and deft plotting make for a harrowing dystopian story that nevertheless thrums with hope. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781419777783
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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