Thrills and fun galore.
A mechanized city harbors a secret.
In the capital city of Oskars, orphan Ever Barnes lives among the gears and levers in the Switchboard Operating Facility, an edifice that can rotate and shift. Instructed by his father (who was brutally murdered), Ever guards a mysterious safe housed within the movable building. Across the city, highborn Hannah, whose father owns the Switchboard, spends her days in comfort. When the two run into each other, she is instantly taken with Ever. They form a friendship and soon find themselves caught up in a vast political conspiracy and in very real danger. This middle-grade steampunk graphic novel features a delightfully constructed world with broad appeal, reading like a remix of Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock’s Four Points series, with a dash of Laura Ruby’s York series and a hint of Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2008). Ying has constructed a thrilling genre-bender that seamlessly blends hot air balloons, a secret society, an assassin’s guild, a giant robot, and political intrigue without ever feeling overloaded. The city of Oskars becomes its own fully formed character as its secrets—like a mysterious map, concealed gears and mechanisms, and a hidden safe—slowly reveal themselves. Ying’s full-color illustrations are cinematic in scope, spotlighting the nonstop action. While Ever and Hannah’s adventures come to a satisfying resolution, more are promised in a later volume. Ever presents white, and Hannah has Asian features.
Thrills and fun galore. (Graphic mystery/fantasy. 7-12)Pub Date: July 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-11448-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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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