Will score higher with sports fans of the inner game than the on-field sort.
Middle schooler Albert Kinney evades more murder attempts while searching for both peace and public glory on the playing pitch.
Having been recruited from Earth in Star Striker: Game On! (2021) to play the soccer(ish) game johka on planets in the Fŭigor Solar System, Albert finds himself struggling to get past feelings of guilt and inadequacy in order to regain an essential mystical union called “ahn” with his Zeenod teammates, all while training for the huge upcoming match, which will be held partly on ice, and contriving to stay alive through multiple efforts to assassinate him for reasons of interplanetary politics. Meanwhile, in what amounts to a second plotline rather than a subplot, mad botmaker Mehklen Pahck schemes to secretly switch Albert out for an android of his own design…once he escapes from prison. What with all these intertwined threads, it’s no surprise that actual game action doesn’t get underway until nearly the end, but as Amato is focusing less on plot than character in this series, it’s the way Albert copes with his internal challenges that takes center stage anyway. Through meditation and with teammates on his side—as well as an unusually smart dog who occasionally takes over narratorial duties and friendly classmate Jessica—Albert does regain balance and confidence just in time for a properly spectacular performance. As before, minimal description makes racial identity difficult to determine.
Will score higher with sports fans of the inner game than the on-field sort. (Science fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4912-5
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
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
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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