Next book

ATLANTIS

THE ACCIDENTAL INVASION

This fun adventure both engages and gently edifies.

Two strangers from different worlds must stop a shadow war.

Twelve-year-old Meriwether Lewis Gates’ futuristic life might be recognizable in some ways, but it’s also plagued by unrelenting, destructive tsunamis. His dad is an eccentric and brilliant academic whose insistence on Atlantis’ existence has left him all but ostracized from the scientific community save for his genius teenage assistant, Hanna. Meanwhile, fathoms below in her Atlantean home of Ridge City, 14-year-old Kaya lives with her father and grandmother and is fascinated by illicit stories about the People of the Sun who live above on dry land. When Lewis’ and Kaya’s worlds collide, they (along with Hanna and Lewis’ dad) form an unlikely alliance, discovering that as climate change and pollution poison the sea, Atlantis is quietly and violently retaliating. The Erasers, a secret Atlantean faction, seek to silence and quell anything to do with the People of the Sun. Can these new friends save both Atlantis and Earth? Written from both Kaya’s and Lewis’ third-person points of view, Mone’s book features expeditious pacing, ample secrets, and imaginative science and tech creations that are zippy indeed, though some points are resolved too conveniently. In a jaunty Q&A, Mone carefully explains how he conceived his innovations and their scientific inner workings. Also provided are tips for making a difference regarding ocean pollution. Lewis is presumably White; Hanna is cued as Black.

This fun adventure both engages and gently edifies. (map) (Science fiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: April 20, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-4197-3853-1

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Amulet/Abrams

Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021

Next book

THE WILD ROBOT PROTECTS

From the Wild Robot series , Vol. 3

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

Next book

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS AND THE TERRIFYING RETURN OF TIPPY TINKLETROUSERS

From the Captain Underpants series , Vol. 9

Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.

Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.

Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…

Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012

Close Quickview