This engaging, anything-goes SF/fantasy should hold young attention spans, with more installments promised.
In this middle-grade SF/fantasy, a present-day boy with prophetic dreams and a mind attuned to time is the only hope for 31st-century Earth after an alien takeover.
Jonathan Davis, 11, is largely solitary at school, haunted by strange, lucid dreams and thoughts about the vast universe. Nat’s illustrated series opener then takes flight into two different timelines. Three months ago, Jonathan and his only real junior high friend, Ethan, explored an abandoned church, the long-rumored site of a spooky, paranormal phenomenon. Indeed, there the two found a “portal” that took them to a place in a wholly different space/time zone, where Jonathan confronted and battled fearsome creatures from mythology. Those episodes alternate with the present, in which Jonathan, merely trying to enjoy a night of backyard telescope viewing, gets pulled into the year 3003. Sibling “star kids from the sky,” the namesakes and equivalents of Greek gods Apollo and Artemis, appear and explain to Jonathan that future Earth has been secretly invaded and overwhelmed by the evil Taygateans, mind-controlling extraterrestrials who want to use enslaved humans to help terraform a new world for them to colonize. Jonathan is the “chosen one” to save humankind because he alone can master the intricacies of a sort of universal clock called Hora Prima. All he has to do is rearrange chronological events so that the Taygateans never arrive on Earth. Easier said than done? Well, yes and no, because readers are often told that Jonathan is destined to succeed, no matter the odds. Weird technologies and wild creatures—some associated with different world cultures, others wholly original—show up along the way in an anything-can-happen fashion that is (partially) explained by “string theory.” (Hmmm, was that addressed in a Stephen Hawking or Carl Sagan lecture?) But how the church portal dovetails with the alien stuff is a nice touch. Cool illustrations by Peres are a major asset, and young readers who don’t require practical ground rules for such way-out material should eagerly follow along. The author includes a glossary that features both “real” (scientifically grounded) and imaginary details.
This engaging, anything-goes SF/fantasy should hold young attention spans, with more installments promised. (glossary, author bio, afterword)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73544-881-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Nightsky Publishers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
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