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SILVERWOOD

Name: SILVERWOOD
Author: Betsy Streeter
ISBN: 978-1-61153-119-0

From the Silverwood series , Vol. 1

by Betsy Streeter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 18, 2015

Nevertheless, Streeter’s world is interesting and has potential; here’s hoping the writing will improve as the series...

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A time-traveling, portal-jumping sci-fi with multiple narrative perspectives.

The flap claims Helen Silverwood, a 14-year-old with a knack for hacking, is the protagonist of this tale, but her father, Gabriel, her mother, Kate, and various others share narrative space. After a bumpy start with clunky descriptions, readers learn that both Silverwood parents are ex-agents—people who protect the general population from the Tromindox, age-old predators of humans. Before the book’s action begins, a fallout with the Council (which controls the agents) landed Gabriel in prison, and Kate fled with Helen and son Henry to another time. Kate scrapes by bounty hunting Tromindox, but both Helen and Henry—unaware of the circumstances that necessitate their constant moves—are frustrated. When a disgruntled Council member allies with the Tromindox, both Silverwood children—who have special gifts: Helen can heal the humans on which Tromindox prey, and Henry can draw the future—are in danger. All the Silverwoods end up in an old ghost town where they discover an evil Tromindox plot. The third-person narration sometimes feels awkward, though the multiple points of view keep the pace moving. Additionally, some characters (Henry in particular) can feel inauthentic at times.

Nevertheless, Streeter’s world is interesting and has potential; here’s hoping the writing will improve as the series continues. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-61153-119-0

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Light Messages

Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

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WHEN YOU REACH ME

by Rebecca Stead ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 14, 2009

Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda’s Manhattan...

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When Miranda’s best friend Sal gets punched by a strange kid, he abruptly stops speaking to her; then oddly prescient letters start arriving.

They ask for her help, saying, “I'm coming to save your friend's life, and my own.” Readers will immediately connect with Miranda’s fluid first-person narration, a mix of Manhattan street smarts and pre-teen innocence. She addresses the letter writer and recounts the weird events of her sixth-grade year, hoping to make sense of the crumpled notes. Miranda’s crystalline picture of her urban landscape will resonate with city teens and intrigue suburban kids. As the letters keep coming, Miranda clings to her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, and discusses time travel with Marcus, the nice, nerdy boy who punched Sal. Keen readers will notice Stead toying with time from the start, as Miranda writes in the present about past events that will determine her future.

Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda’s Manhattan world converge amid mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to the beginning and say, “Wow...cool.” (Fiction. 12 & up)

Pub Date: July 14, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-385-73742-5

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2009

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

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by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass

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THE LIGHTNING THIEF

From the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series , Vol. 1

by Rick Riordan ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2005

The sardonic tone of the narrator’s voice lends a refreshing air of realism to this riotously paced quest tale of heroism...

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Edgar Award–winning Riordan leaves the adult world of mystery to begin a fantasy series for younger readers.

Twelve-year-old Percy (full name, Perseus) Jackson has attended six schools in six years. Officially diagnosed with ADHD, his lack of self-control gets him in trouble again and again. What if it isn’t his fault? What if all the outrageous incidents that get him kicked out of school are the result of his being a “half-blood,” the product of a relationship between a human and a Greek god? Could it be true that his math teacher Mrs. Dodds transformed into a shriveled hag with bat wings, a Fury, and was trying to kill him? Did he really vanquish her with a pen that turned into a sword? One need not be an expert in Greek mythology to enjoy Percy’s journey to retrieve Zeus’s master bolt from the Underworld, but those who are familiar with the deities and demi-gods will have many an ah-ha moment. Along the way, Percy and his cohort run into Medusa, Cerberus and Pan, among others.

The sardonic tone of the narrator’s voice lends a refreshing air of realism to this riotously paced quest tale of heroism that questions the realities of our world, family, friendship and loyalty. (Fantasy. 12-15)