by Gene Luen Yang ; illustrated by Mike Holmes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 2, 2018
Though readers may be sad to say goodbye to the world and characters, it’s been a glitch-free runtime, and they’ll be...
The conclusion to the Secret Coders graphic novel series.
Immediately following Potions and Parameters (2018), multiracial trio Hopper, Eni, and Josh code a portal to Professor Bee’s two-dimensional home world, Flatland, to bring back a Turtle of Light so that they can stop the villainous Dr. One-Zero. In Flatland, Eni and Josh appear as polygons (based on their normal features, square and triangular respectively), and as a female, Hopper is reduced to a profile outline. After coding their way out of a tough spot, the three return to their home dimension, where they’re soon to be split up—Hopper’s mother wants to move them someplace safer, and Eni’s mother is transferring him to a sports-focused school. That leaves them precious little time to decipher Dr. One-Zero’s diabolical final scheme and find a way to counter it. Defeating him will take teamwork—Professor Bee teaches them to modularize, and each works on subprograms. The final fight is an entertaining one, with high stakes, plenty of action, ingenuity, and comedic moments. The denouement’s final storyline is resolved through age-appropriate character relations. After the story, a “The Making of Secret Coders” segment reveals early sketches and describes how the author-illustrator team worked together, and there’s information about Yang’s “Reading without Walls” challenge.
Though readers may be sad to say goodbye to the world and characters, it’s been a glitch-free runtime, and they’ll be satisfied at the final bits and bytes . (Graphic science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62672-610-9
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
Share your opinion of this book
More by Gene Luen Yang
BOOK REVIEW
by Gene Luen Yang ; illustrated by Kendall Goode & Alison Acton
BOOK REVIEW
by Gene Luen Yang ; illustrated by LeUyen Pham
BOOK REVIEW
by Gene Luen Yang ; illustrated by Les McClaine & Alison Acton
by Virginia Hamilton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 9, 1968
Ideas abound, but when the focus shifts from Thomas' determination to take the measure of the house (literally and...
Dies Drear? Ohio abolitionist, keeper of a key station on the Underground Railroad, bearer of a hypercharged name that is not even noted as odd. Which is odd: everything else has an elaborate explanation.
Unlike Zeely, Miss Hamilton's haunting first, this creates mystery only to reveal sleight-of-hand, creates a character who's larger than life only to reveal his double. Thirteen-year-old Thomas Small is fascinated, and afraid, of the huge, uncharted house his father, a specialist in Negro Civil War history, has purposefully rented. A strange pair of children, tiny Pesty and husky Mac Darrow, seem to tease him; old bearded Pluto, long-time caretaker and local legend, seems bent on scaring the Smalls away. But how can a lame old man run fast enough to catch Thomas from behind? what do the triangles affixed to their doors signify? who spread a sticky paste of foodstuffs over the kitchen? Pluto, accosted, disappears. . . into a cavern that was Dies Drear's treasure house of decorative art, his solace for the sequestered slaves. But Pluto is not, despite his nickname, the devil; neither is he alone; his actor-son has returned to help him stave off the greedy Darrows and the Smalls, if they should also be hostile to the house, the treasure, the tradition. Pluto as keeper of the flame would be more convincing without his, and his son's, histrionics, and without Pesty as a prodigy cherubim. There are some sharp observations of, and on, the Negro church historically and presently, and an aborted ideological debate regarding use of the Negro heritage.
Ideas abound, but when the focus shifts from Thomas' determination to take the measure of the house (literally and figuratively), the story becomes a charade. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 1968
ISBN: 1416914056
Page Count: 260
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1968
Share your opinion of this book
More by Virginia Hamilton
BOOK REVIEW
by Virginia Hamilton & illustrated by Leo Dillon & Diane Dillon
BOOK REVIEW
by Virginia Hamilton & illustrated by Barry Moser
BOOK REVIEW
by Virginia Hamilton & illustrated by James E. Ransome
by Sheela Chari ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 30, 2017
A quick, agreeable caper, this may spark some discussion even as it entertains.
Myla and Peter step into the path of a gang when they unite forces to find Peter’s runaway brother, Randall.
As they follow the graffiti tags that Randall has been painting in honor of the boys’ deceased father, they uncover a sinister history involving stolen diamonds, disappearances, and deaths. It started long ago when the boys’ grandmother, a diamond-cutter, partnered with the head of the gang. She was rumored to have hidden his diamonds before her suspicious death, leaving clues to their whereabouts. Now everyone is searching, including Randall. The duo’s collaboration is initially an unwilling one fraught with misunderstandings. Even after Peter and Myla bond over being the only people of color in an otherwise white school (Myla is Indian-American; mixed-race Peter is Indian, African-American, and white), Peter can’t believe the gang is after Myla. But Myla possesses a necklace that holds a clue. Alternating first-person chapters allow peeks into how Myla, Peter, and Randall unravel the story and decipher clues. Savvy readers will put the pieces together, too, although false leads and red herrings are cleverly interwoven. The action stumbles at times, but it takes place against the rich backdrops of gritty New York City and history-laden Dobbs Ferry and is made all the more colorful by references to graffiti art and parkour.
A quick, agreeable caper, this may spark some discussion even as it entertains. (Mystery. 10-12)Pub Date: May 30, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2296-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
Share your opinion of this book
More by Sheela Chari
BOOK REVIEW
by Sheela Chari
BOOK REVIEW
by Sheela Chari
BOOK REVIEW
by Sheela Chari
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.