A love letter to escapism and writing one’s own destiny.
A lonely tabletop role-playing game fan gets a quest in a real magical world.
Ben is constantly writing in his notebook, daydreaming up new games for his adventuring party to play in Dungeons & Dragons analog Kingdoms of Forever. His divorced mother moved him away from his friends, leaving him bored and alone. After being stood up by his party at the con they’d always attended, he’s discovered by purple-haired, awesomely costumed Niara. She’s on a mission to retrieve the Chosen One for a quest. Ben assumes she’s a con-goer inviting him to a game and follows Niara to Lux, where he’s plopped into the middle of a conflict between the Elders, who are devoted to an ancient prophet’s writings, and the king whose knights riding flying narwhals contribute to the ridonkulous comedic tone. Ben finds a magic of his own—what he writes in his notebook comes true (within reasonable limits). Ben’s sure he’s not the actual Chosen One, but he enjoys living the fantasy until he’s in too deep. The Lux storyline’s stakes are a little slow in coming, but once they do, the revelations come alongside reveals of Ben’s real-world struggles. While the writing could sometimes be tighter, the themes of interpersonal relationships and change give the work emotional heft. The ending teases a sequel. Spotlight art emphasizes game-guide–style profiles and sidebars. On the cover, Ben’s White and Niara has brown skin.
A love letter to escapism and writing one’s own destiny. (Fantasy. 8-14)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9780593482711
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Labyrinth Road
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling first installment in an adventurous new series.
An orphaned street urchin is recruited into an elite school for thieves.
In an alternate world where France is the dominant world power, 13-year-old Tom Morgan has had to scrimp, starve, and steal on the streets of London to survive. Born into a workhouse, he doesn’t know anything about his father, while his mother may have been from North Africa. One thing he does know is the sort of cruelty that awaits the poor who are sent to the workhouse, and he’s determined not to go back. But when their camp is raided and his friends are captured by workhouse agents, the only thing Tom can think of is how to get them out. Enter the Corsair, a cunning and mysterious man with a proposition: He wants to recruit Tom into Beaufort’s School for Deceptive Arts. From nabbing treasures to forging identity papers, Beaufort’s promises to teach Tom everything he needs to know to become a Shadow Thief and a member of the Shadow League, the secret global organization that helps keep the world’s political power in balance. But Beaufort’s has its own rules and secrets, and if Tom is to survive long enough to help his friends, he’ll need to figure them out quickly. Clever and gripping, this fast-paced boarding school story will appeal to fans of the Mysterious Benedict Society and Spy School series.
A thrilling first installment in an adventurous new series. (Adventure. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781665982283
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
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.
