A fast-paced, action-packed, and undeniably fun middle-grade tale.
The first book in Edlund’s (A Woman Warrior Born, 2013) middle-grade sci-fi series chronicles the adventures of an 11-year-old boy whose family has just relocated to a new planet.
Keelic Travers dreams of being a pirate—commanding his own ship and traveling anywhere he wants—but his current existence has none of that glorious freedom. As the new kid in school, students (and teachers) relentlessly bully him, and at home, his overprotective parents make it difficult for him to have any fun. But two events irrevocably change his life: he befriends a little alien creature named Thotti that communicates telepathically by using images and emotions, and he discovers an abandoned base while exploring the remote areas surrounding his home. Almost 300 years have passed since the Galactic War ended, but Keelic finds that Alpha Base, a secret command center that trained the crews of “super-ships” for the Terra Corps, is still operational and hidden in a massive sinkhole. Its old simulator, in particular, becomes a sanctuary for the boy—a place where he can forget about his miserable life and study military history and strategies with his sidekick, Thotti. This book is tonally reminiscent of Robert A. Heinlein’s juvenile novels, such as Space Cadet (1948) and Red Planet (1949). However, there are a few minor flaws that impact the story’s overall effectiveness: the era’s back story could’ve been more clearly explained, and the overall worldbuilding and character development are lacking. That said, the storyline is strongly constructed, the narrative focused, and the pacing brisk. The character of Keelic is endearing, and his struggles are easy to identify with (feeling alone, being bullied, having a first crush). But, as in the aforementioned Heinlein classics, it’s a sense of wonder that powers this story, which is magnified by the fact that the events are seen through the eyes of a boy. Some better description could’ve made this novel an extraordinary reading experience, but as it is, it’s still very good.
A fast-paced, action-packed, and undeniably fun middle-grade tale.Pub Date: March 6, 2015
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 227
Publisher: Landstrider Press
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
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