A high-stakes, if sometimes frustrating, magical journey that’s brimming with messages of friendship and acceptance.
In this second series entry, more than a decade has passed since Juniper and Rafferty’s adventures.
Elio Gale, 13, a white-presenting animal caretaker for the traveling Circus Astra, enjoys circus life but longs for something new. His risk-averse circus bookkeeper father tries to extinguish his dreams, but adventure soon finds Elio when the circus heads toward the queen’s court, prompting terror from his father. Unbeknownst to Elio, his ma’s pendant, which he wears, holds great power, and in fact, Elio himself may be the key to the island of Whetherwhy’s fate. Escaping with his friend Pom Li, who’s nonbinary, tone-deaf, and recently expelled from Bard School, Elio travels to Thistledown Academy of Enchantment. The pair meet characters from the first book who help them work to protect Elio, the island, and its magic from the nefarious, power-hungry queen. Although invested series fans will appreciate revisiting familiar characters, some may be frustrated by the time jump and change in protagonists. Elio and his friends are compelling, but the narrative occasionally gets bogged down in exposition, drawing focus from the stakes. The frame story again centers on a man who’s narrating the adventure to his grandchildren; while it detracts from the main narrative, it offers moments of emotional validation and sometimes invites reflection on how we engage with stories. A cryptic cliffhanger ending may leave readers dissatisfied. Wyatt’s illustrations add drama and intrigue.
A high-stakes, if sometimes frustrating, magical journey that’s brimming with messages of friendship and acceptance. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9780593691939
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic.
A loyal black kitten’s boy is under supernatural attack.
Eleven-month-old Nimbus loves Fletcher, the boy who nursed her back to health following life-threatening injuries. When Fletcher becomes curious about a strange jar and opens it, releasing a terrible goblin, loyal Nim protects Fletcher, taking heavy damage in the process. But Fletcher’s aunt, who’s caring for him over spring break, believes Nim attacked Fletcher and dumps her far from home. Rhett, a stylish rat with star quality, befriends injured Nim and leads her to a witch’s house. While the witch cares for Nim, the witch’s cats (maternal Fern, bookish Rochester, standoffish Bianca, and openly hostile Abraxas) teach Nim important cat skills. She also discovers she has a supernatural ability: In destroying one eye of the nightmare demon in the fight to protect Fletcher, Nim gained its “dream sight.” But she also learns it might come back for Fletcher, who no longer has Nim to protect him, posing a time-sensitive, high-stakes threat. Even though the witch’s home is nice and magic itself seems to be telling her to stay put, Nim wants to find a way back to Fletcher. As a hero, Nimbus is as gritty and determined as she is adorable. Tear-jerker moments explore pet abandonment—readers may want their own pets on hand to hug—all the way through the magical, action-packed finale. Fletcher and the witch read white.
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780062680372
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short.
In the dystopian, totalitarian world of 2099, 14-year-old Tessa and her family are desperate to solve the mystery of her twin brother Theo’s disappearance.
Tessa is growing up in a time when playgrounds are historical relics, surveillance cameras are everywhere, music is outlawed, and owning books is illegal. Under the absolute rule of Zokiris, the decadeslong leader of her territory, people are heavily controlled. When Theo vanishes under mysterious circumstances and his name is erased from the Territory Statistics list, Tessa’s 135-year-old neighbor, Miriam, gives the family contraband books that become central to figuring out Theo’s whereabouts. Most books have long since been seized and stored away in Building 903; Tessa is intrigued by their presence in her home, while her mother is terrified. Lowry, the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Giver (1993), shines in her creation of uncomfortably believable dystopian societies. Tessa’s painfully limited world is fully imagined, with its own history, laws, and norms. Her relationship with her brother reads as realistic and tender and is crucial to the mystery. Miriam is the most strongly developed character: wise and independent, unafraid and hopeful. While the climb to the book’s climax is captivating, the hurried resolution is disappointing. The powerful messaging around the importance of literature and imagination certainly resonates, however. The main characters present white.
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short. (Dystopian. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780063515109
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© 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.
