A fun, engaging adventure about a tween without powers in a world of superheroes.
A middle-grade SF novel features superheroes, mutant animals, and a boy whose summer plans fall spectacularly apart.
Twenty years after the “Super phenomenon,” when the antibiotics used to treat a lethal stomach parasite that infected much of the world’s population had unexpected DNA side effects, Lincoln City is filled with mutated animals and superhumans—some of them heroes and some of them villains. Twelve-year-old Noah Reagan, a regular human, has big plans for his summer break: avoid the school bullies and take part in the “Summer with Supers Youth Program.” Off to a bad start, with the bullies after him and the program postponed, he finds things getting even worse. He ends up having to work for his dad’s maintenance company after he disobeyed his father and skipped babysitting his younger sisters one day. But cleaning up after mutant beast attacks proves to be a better activity than he expected when he allies himself with his crush, Ruth Keller, a closeted Super. They start investigating the large number of mutant assaults in the city. As danger mounts, Noah needs to remain under the radar and avoid his dad; the police chief; the Supers; and an unknown enemy whose nefarious plans may already be underway. Hapless, ordinary Noah and empowered, smart Ruth lead the intriguing cast of characters in Tucker’s buoyant, fast-paced, slightly zany series opener. Noah’s earnestness to prove himself worthy comes with a dose of realism when addressing the different ways the new world order has negatively impacted his own family: “ ‘So, we just let this continue?’ Anger—it crawled slowly into my throat. ‘We just let my father continue to work for scraps, and my sisters live off TV dinners?’ ” This entertaining journey will particularly appeal to readers interested in comics and superheroes.
A fun, engaging adventure about a tween without powers in a world of superheroes.Pub Date: April 10, 2023
ISBN: 9798986487854
Page Count: 190
Publisher: First Fruit Press
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A captivating adventure about the strength of love and family.
A Nigerian city girl visits her estranged grandmother in a remote village and is confronted with family secrets.
Thirteen-year-old Simi has only known Lagos—until her mother needs to go to London for work. Her parents are divorced, and Simi can’t stay with her perpetually busy father, so she is reluctantly shipped off to spend her summer vacation with her maternal grandmother in Ajao, a remote village with no modern technology. Soon after her exhausting journey by bus and taxi, Simi goes for a walk and is drawn to go the wrong way—into the forest and toward a forbidden lake, where she is briefly transported to a different world, something she at first believes is a dream. Although her staunchly Christian mother does not want her exposed to the Yoruba gods and goddesses her grandmother follows, Simi later learns a story that is connected to her family about Oshun, the river and water goddess. As more children are lured toward the lake, Simi feels compelled to come forward and risk everything to heal the wounds in her family and help the village that has come to feel like home. Traoré’s debut is brimming with earnest, admiring details about Yoruba culture and traditions that are woven into the worldbuilding. As Simi’s fast-paced adventure unfolds, readers will be swept away by the limited omniscient narration in this plot-driven story with a strong sense of place.
A captivating adventure about the strength of love and family. (author's note, glossary) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-78192-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
A tremendous return.
Several months have passed since the events of The Rise of the Jumbies (2017), when Corinne La Mer faced her mother’s sister, Severine, and the mighty Mama D’Leau, the jumbies of forest and sea.
Corinne anxiously awaits her father’s yellow fishing boat every day, scanning the sea for trouble, afraid that Severine will come back for revenge. Her friends encourage her to keep her mind on land rather than the waters. One day, an out-of-season hurricane suddenly turns the island upside down. As the hurricane rips the island apart, the villagers take to the mountains for shelter. There, Corinne finds Papa Bois, guardian jumbie of the forest. He tells her the storm is the work of the jumbie god, Huracan. Even though she’s half jumbie herself, Corinne isn’t sure how to stop the mighty god from destroying the island. What could cause such fury? With the help of her friends, human and jumbie, Corinne sets out to fix things once and for all and to face Huracan himself. With this strong return to the Jumbies series, Baptiste engages all the senses, from the taste of sweet oranges to the scent of salty air. Corinne strengthens her relationships with the island, the people, and all the creatures within. Her determination, compassion, and bravery will inspire readers to face down any challenges crossing their paths. Baptiste carefully represents Caribbean diversity; most characters are Afro Caribbean like Corinne, but friend Dru’s heritage is South Asian.
A tremendous return. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-61620-891-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Algonquin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
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