Tongue-in-cheek, pedal-to-the-metal action, with an unusually broad cast of humans, aliens, and…others.
If it’s not aliens, it’s cryptids and idealists that complicate the lives of Area 51’s teen interns.
Barely a week since the harrowing events of Alien Summer (2022), the discovery of a tantalizing Forbidden Zone beneath Area 51’s sprawling facility pitches Viv, Charlotte, Elijah, and Ray (with cute pocket alien Meekee) into an escalating catastrophe after parties unknown stage a mass breakout of cryptids ranging from jackalopes and a huge but (being Canadian) polite lady Yeti named Roger to a terrifying Chupacabra with mind-control powers. What with Viv’s unsuccessfully struggling to suppress her own recently revealed alien powers and also stewing over the attention Elijah seems to be paying to newly arrived auburn-haired brainiac Joanna Kim, Murray and Smith also stir plenty of emotional turmoil into the effervescent whirl of attacks, betrayals, and cliffhangers. As it turns out, the cryptids were released by a well-meaning animal rights activist, and if the authors sidestep a meaningful discussion of the ins and outs of that issue, they do at least give the ethics of the act some nuance on the way to a tidy and (improbably) fatality-free resolution. Spaziante contributes a helpful set of colorful creature and locale files. As previously established, Viv is Black, Elijah is Latine, and their fellow interns are White; Joanna’s surname may point to Korean heritage.
Tongue-in-cheek, pedal-to-the-metal action, with an unusually broad cast of humans, aliens, and…others. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-22614-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
More hijinks-filled adventure than mystery, this is sure to win an audience.
Ben Silverstein’s summer with Grandpa is about to go wild.
When his parents need to “work out some troubles,” 10-year-old Ben gets shipped off to tiny Buttonville, where everything seems to be closed or out of business since the button factory was shuttered years ago. Ben’s used to spending summers in the pool in his Los Angeles backyard with his friends, and Buttonville looks positively coma-inducing. When Grandpa’s mouser Barnaby deposits what has to be a baby dragon on Ben’s bed, Ben and his new friend Pearl (whom the whole town calls “troublemaker” on account of a few innocent incidents) decide to visit the new “worm doctor” who has moved into the abandoned button factory. (Ben had heard her strange assistant Mr. Tabby buying ingredients for “dragon’s milk” at the grocery....) When their visit unleashes a hairy, pudding-loving imaginary beast on the town of Buttonville, Ben and Pearl volunteer to catch him. Selfors kicks off her Imaginary Veterinary series with a solid, entertaining opener. Ben and Pearl are Everykids that readers will relate to, and the adults of Buttonville are often delightfully weird and clueless. Twenty-five pages of backmatter include information on wyverns and sasquatch as well as the science of reptiles and a pudding recipe.
More hijinks-filled adventure than mystery, this is sure to win an audience. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: April 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-316-20934-2
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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