A thought-provoking environmental tale featuring a lovable hero.
A debut middle-grade novel chronicles the adventures of a seventh grader who, while solving crimes against nature, embarks on a painful but revelatory journey of self-discovery.
Set in near future Venice Beach, the story revolves around KyRose Sanchez, a student at a STEM-focused school who has an uncanny ability to communicate with animals. Although she loves creatures of all kinds and is involved in local animal welfare issues (such as saving an injured dolphin she calls Misty and helping a pair of eagles named Gabriella and Merlin, whose ecosystem has been destroyed), her biggest wish is to be one of the popular kids, like Georgia Alister Schmidt. An archetypal mean girl, Georgia is captain of the soccer team. But while students compete in a contest creating innovative gadgets to potentially help astronauts about to land on Mars, KyRose decides that she’ll do anything to be popular—and get invited to one of Georgia’s exclusive parties. Yet in her quest to join Georgia’s circle—and not be a “freak” who talks to animals—KyRose jeopardizes her relationship with her best friend, Cora Lee, and loses focus on everything that makes her uniquely herself. The environmental thread of the engaging narrative is obviously a strength—KyRose’s own mother works for a developer who wants to forcibly relocate an animal sanctuary. But the ingenuity and groundbreaking ideas that the students come up with (like echolocation vests) are worthy of mention, and wildly empowering to young readers. Also of note are Bricault’s appealing protagonist and the subtle social commentary throughout. In one instance, KyRose’s obsession with her “digi-bracelet” (a highly advanced smartphone) makes her unaware of a significant event happening right next to her: “I was staring at my bracelet the whole time.” This story could mark the start of an entertaining series for middle-grade readers.
A thought-provoking environmental tale featuring a lovable hero.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-0-578-38232-6
Page Count: 276
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book.
Ada Twist’s incessant stream of questions leads to answers that help solve a neighborhood crisis.
Ada conducts experiments at home to answer questions such as, why does Mom’s coffee smell stronger than Dad’s coffee? Each answer leads to another question, another hypothesis, and another experiment, which is how she goes from collecting data on backyard birds for a citizen-science project to helping Rosie Revere figure out how to get her uncle Ned down from the sky, where his helium-filled “perilous pants” are keeping him afloat. The Questioneers—Rosie the engineer, Iggy Peck the architect, and Ada the scientist—work together, asking questions like scientists. Armed with knowledge (of molecules and air pressure, force and temperature) but more importantly, with curiosity, Ada works out a solution. Ada is a recognizable, three-dimensional girl in this delightfully silly chapter book: tirelessly curious and determined yet easily excited and still learning to express herself. If science concepts aren’t completely clear in this romp, relationships and emotions certainly are. In playful full- and half-page illustrations that break up the text, Ada is black with Afro-textured hair; Rosie and Iggy are white. A closing section on citizen science may inspire readers to get involved in science too; on the other hand, the “Ode to a Gas!” may just puzzle them. Other backmatter topics include the importance of bird study and the threat palm-oil use poses to rainforests.
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3422-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
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