Has strong appeal for readers seeking magic-infused stories grounded in well-rounded characterization.
A tween discovers the magic of conjuring and the power of community.
Twelve-year-old Marcus Pennrider is a Black boy from Grand Park, New York. His role model, and possibly even his “favorite person alive,” is local store owner and community leader Mr. O, who helped save Marcus and his little sister, Ariana, from their abusive widowed father. The siblings often took shelter in Mr. O’s Orisha Corner Store, and he even helped the kids’ aunt Donna gain custody. One day, Marcus unintentionally unleashes magical powers he didn’t realize he possessed, damaging the apartment. In his desperation, he confides in Mr. O, who informs Marcus that he has the gift of Divination—the ability to wield the powers of the gods. Mr. O takes Marcus on as an apprentice. Initially, Marcus finds purpose in his training, but it monopolizes his time and energy, straining his relationships with those who care about him. Can he find his own way and forge his own path to what really matters to him? Farmer’s strong character development and worldbuilding bolster this fantasy story that centers on a majority Black cast and feels firmly anchored in realistic concerns. First-person narrator Marcus is an appealing lead, and readers will become entwined in his journey of self-discovery. Even supporting characters prove to be interesting boons to the plot.
Has strong appeal for readers seeking magic-infused stories grounded in well-rounded characterization. (glossary of illustrations) (Fantasy. 8-14)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9781250900289
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious.
If you made a recording to be heard by the aliens who found the iPod, what would you record?
For 11-year-old Alex Petroski, it's easy. He records everything. He records the story of how he travels to New Mexico to a rocket festival with his dog, Carl Sagan, and his rocket. He records finding out that a man with the same name and birthday as his dead father has an address in Las Vegas. He records eating at Johnny Rockets for the first time with his new friends, who are giving him a ride to find his dead father (who might not be dead!), and losing Carl Sagan in the wilds of Las Vegas, and discovering he has a half sister. He even records his own awful accident. Cheng delivers a sweet, soulful debut novel with a brilliant, refreshing structure. His characters manage to come alive through the “transcript” of Alex’s iPod recording, an odd medium that sounds like it would be confusing but really works. Taking inspiration from the Voyager Golden Record released to space in 1977, Alex, who explains he has “light brown skin,” records all the important moments of a journey that takes him from a family of two to a family of plenty.
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-18637-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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