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
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Roz, a robot who learned to adapt to life among wild creatures in her first outing, seeks to return to the island she calls home.
Brown’s sequel to The Wild Robot (2016) continues an intriguing premise: What would happen to a robot after challenges in an unexpected environment cause it to evolve in unusual ways? As this book opens, Roz is delivered to a farm where she helps a widower with two young children run a dairy operation that has been in his family for generations. Roz reveals her backstory to the cows, who are supportive of the robot’s determination to return to the island and to her adopted son, the goose Brightbill. The cows, the children, and finally Brightbill himself come to Roz’s aid. The focus on Roz’s escape from human control results in a somewhat solemn and episodic narrative, with an extended journey and chase after Roz leaves the farm. Dr. Molovo, a literal deus ex machina, appears near the end of the story to provide a means of rescue. She is Roz’s designer/creator, and, intrigued by the robot’s adaptation and evolution but cognizant of the threat that those achievements might represent to humans, she assists Roz and Brightbill in their quest. The satisfactory (if inevitable-feeling) conclusion may prompt discussion about individual agency and determination, whether for robots or people.
If not as effervescent as Roz’s first outing, it is still a provocatively contemplative one. (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: March 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-38204-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
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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
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