A promising premise is squandered in this series opener.
A 13-year-old is invited to a school for animal shape-shifting woodwalkers.
In this tale set in Wyoming, the first of a new series, Carag has been raised mostly puma, as his family distrusts and dislikes humans. But after one outing in his human form, Carag’s curiosity overwhelms him, and he decides to leave his family and try out human life. Between school bullies and foster siblings, living as a human isn’t what he imagined, but soon he’s approached by other animal shape-shifters who invite him to a special boarding school for woodwalkers. Also pushing him to go is Andrew, a wealthy, powerful man who reveals himself to be a fellow puma woodwalker—a sinister, dog-kicking type whose friendly overtures unnerve Carag. While the setup is intriguing, the school features cardboard characters and stock plots: Carag goes up against a wolf pack that bullies the “prey” animals, befriends a plucky group of misfits, and falls for the unobtainable girl who happens to be the daughter of the bully teacher. Aside from the additions of animals, readers will likely experience plot déjà vu from other books that did it better. Aside from one late action sequence, the book fails to establish stakes—the Andrew subplot is especially vague. The text, translated from German, is generally smooth, with only the rare odd word choice that would give young readers pause. Black-and-white artwork of Carag in puma form is interspersed. When human, Carag presents as White, as do most side characters; some are Indigenous.
A promising premise is squandered in this series opener. (Fantasy. 8-13)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-64690-020-6
Page Count: 235
Publisher: Arctis Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read...
When a lock-in becomes a reality game, 12-year-old Kyle Keeley and his friends use library resources to find their way out of Alexandriaville’s new public library.
The author of numerous mysteries for children and adults turns his hand to a puzzle adventure with great success. Starting with the premise that billionaire game-maker Luigi Lemoncello has donated a fortune to building a library in a town that went without for 12 years, Grabenstein cleverly uses the tools of board and video games—hints and tricks and escape hatches—to enhance this intricate and suspenseful story. Twelve 12-year-old winners of an essay contest get to be the first to see the new facility and, as a bonus, to play his new escape game. Lemoncello’s gratitude to the library of his childhood extends to providing a helpful holographic image of his 1968 librarian, but his modern version also includes changing video screens, touch-screen computers in the reading desks and an Electronic Learning Center as well as floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stretching up three stories. Although the characters, from gamer Kyle to schemer Charles Chiltington, are lightly developed, the benefits of pooling strengths to work together are clear.
Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read is a winner for readers and game-players alike. (Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-87089-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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