A funny and original story about friendship and the future.
An eclectic group of seventh graders join a mysterious, life-altering after-school club.
At the beginning of seventh grade, Jason Sloan joins Flounder Bay Upper School’s new H.A.I.R. Club at an activity fair, motivated by his popular, perfectly coiffed friend Glamorous Steve’s enthusiasm. The members soon realize that the club isn’t actually about hair; it’s a secret club in which the kids must monitor an anonymous donor’s high-tech video system for any security breaches on school grounds. The club’s first big assignment is to determine who has been stealing the cafeteria’s stash of croutons, but as the eight members review the footage, they eventually notice something creepy and unbelievable—it shows themselves eating lunch five years in the future. Most of the kids don’t like what they see of themselves as seniors (Steve’s lost his enviable hairdo, Nikhil has an embarrassing mustache, Sonia seems to have questionable taste in clothes and boys, and Jason barely has any friends), and they team up to solve the real mystery: Who’s behind the time-bending tech, and what they can do to alter their trajectories? The story’s premise is compelling, and Jason’s family relationships are refreshing and well drawn, but the seventh graders’ issues can seem superficial, and the character development is uneven. The club is majority White by default, but three kids’ names cue them as Asian.
A funny and original story about friendship and the future. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6768-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans.
Only children, rejoice! A cozy mystery just for you! (People with siblings will probably enjoy it too.)
Debut novelist Cornett introduces the One and Onlys, a trio of mystery-solving only kids: Gloria Longshanks “Shanks” Hill, Alexander “Peephole” Calloway, and narrator Paul (alas, no nickname) Marconi. The trio has a knack for finding and solving low-level mysteries, but they come up against a true head-scratcher when the yard of a resident of their small town is covered in rubber ducks overnight. Working ahead of Officer Portnoy, who’s a little on the slow side, can Paul, Shanks, and Peephole solve the mystery? Cornett has a lot of fun with this adventure, dropping additional side mysteries, a subplot about small businesses, big corporations, and economics, and a town’s love of bratwurst into the mix. Most importantly, he plays fair with the clues throughout, allowing astute readers to potentially solve the case ahead of the trio. The tone and mystery are perfect for younger readers who want to test their detective skills but are put off by anything scary or gory. The pacing would serve well for chapter-by-chapter read-alouds. If there are any quibbles, it’s the lack of diversity of the cast, as it defaults white. Diversity exists in small towns, and this one is crying out for more. Hopefully a sequel will introduce additional faces.
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-3003-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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