An amiable cast will draw readers into this riveting, sequelworthy dystopian tale.
Young heroes in the 23rd century stand up against totalitarian authorities in this debut middle-grade novel.
Twelve-year-old orphan Jacob lives in the corporation-owned TanasWorld, one of three zones on a dystopian Earth. Lately, he’s been fascinated by a copy of the Quran, which he stumbled on in a hidden library. It’s rare, like all print books, but also banned, as Tanas has made religions illegal. So Jacob is understandably startled when he meets a boy who recites from the Quran. In fact, quoted Islamic texts are virtually the only things Majdi Mansoor ever says (“Jacob was intrigued by the way the boy could utilize the Quran as speech. It gave him the distinct impression that the book was speaking directly to him. Maybe this was the key to understanding the Quran…treat it as a conversation”). Majdi lives with his Muslim family outside Jacob’s walled city, and they wholeheartedly take the young orphan in. But Tanas Corp’s soldiers shatter their peaceful existence when they grab a couple of Mansoor family members. Jacob, Majdi, and his brothers, Hakim and Shahid, sneak into TanasWorld to rescue their loved ones. They’ll have to face vicious yellow-eyed beasts as well as a diabolical Tanas executive who has a frighteningly close tie to the Mansoors. Bezak’s gripping series opener confidently promotes Islam, accentuating its positivity. The Mansoor family is nothing but accepting and loving, and Majdi’s Quran recitations often inspire others. Joining the immensely appealing protagonists is a delightfully varied cast, from outright villains to those who redeem themselves and even a small, misguided Muslim group that adopts violent tactics. The author wisely simplifies the fast-paced main plot and aptly incorporates worldbuilding without scaling back character development. For example, many of the dilemmas Jacob and Majdi tackle involve this world’s complex past, like the Resource War 16 years ago that ended in Tanas Corp’s unfounded hatred of Muslims. There are a few surprises in the final act along with morsels for the series to pick up later, including baddies that will most assuredly stir up trouble.
An amiable cast will draw readers into this riveting, sequelworthy dystopian tale.Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9780860378280
Page Count: 458
Publisher: Kube Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
In an imaginative wordless picture book, Wiesner (illustrator of Kite Flyer, 1986) tours a dream world suggested by the books and objects in a boy's room. A series of transitions—linked by a map in the book that the boy was reading as he fell asleep—wafts him, pajama-clad, from an aerial view of hedge-bordered fields to a chessboard with chess pieces, some changing into their realistic counterparts (plus a couple of eerie roundheaded figures based on pawns that reappear throughout); next appear a castle; a mysterious wood in which lurks a huge, whimsical dragon; the interior of a neoclassical palace; and a series of fantastic landscapes that eventually transport the boy back to his own bed. Most interesting here are the visual links Wiesner uses in his journey's evolution; it's fun to trace the many details from page to page. There's a bow to Van Allsburg, and another to Sendak's In the Night Kitchen, but Wiesner's broad double-spreads of a dream world—whose muted colors suggest a silent space outside of time—have their own charm. Intriguing.
Pub Date: April 20, 1988
ISBN: 978-0-06-156741-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1988
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