An entertaining introduction to some gifted adolescent heroes who will easily win fans.
Four bright youngsters vow to upend a gang’s cyber-attack on their city in Dan and Danielle O’Connor’s YA caper.
A field trip to the Museum of Natural History in Seaside, Florida, offers a learning opportunity to an eighth-grade class. But for schoolmates and lifelong best friends Melvin “Wiki” Jones and Kayla, the museum is a site for geocaching—using GPS to find boxes that others have hidden. It’s also the place where Wiki, who’s known for his brains and observational skills, meets a stranger who asks him to test a company’s “educational software program.” This is a ruse; the Blackout, a covert group, has a sinister plan to steal a powerful Artificial General Intelligence from Wiki’s scientist father. Once they get their hands on the AGI, they reprogram it to do their nefarious bidding. The Blackout seizes control of computers and electronic devices across Seaside; citizens can either wait 45 days to get everything back or pay a Bitcoin ransom for early access. Wiki and his crew, including Kayla, her older sister, Olivia, and Wiki’s 10-year-old brother, Matthew, dig up what they can on the Blackout (courtesy of Wiki’s still-secure home computer). Finding them may be even easier than Wiki’s crew originally thought as yet another evil plan (swiping specific artifacts from the museum) is executed. With help from a military-grade quadcopter drone that Wiki built himself, the kids try to identify Blackout members, recover the stolen artifacts, and shut down the evil AGI, all while hopefully keeping themselves safe.
A lively cast headlines the O’Connors’ debut novel. Wiki’s crew engages in good-natured banter; Matthew, not fully comprehending some tech-laden discourse, suggests his brother is “talking Klingon.” In many other instances, the youngsters champion one another and offer words of encouragement. The Blackout-centric chapters showcase assorted codenamed baddies, including leader Osiris; Sphinx, who aspires to take over that position; and new recruit/intern Gary, who’s saddled with the nickname Pup-Pup. Younger readers will have no trouble understanding the relatively simple technology (such as a few details on hacking). The story offers educational value—the museum has exhibits on the Plains Indigenous tribes and the Dead Sea Scrolls—but no real mystery, as it’s obvious early on what the bad guys are plotting. Still, it’s a treat to follow these youthful characters as they use their wits and tenacity to take down the Blackout. They’re brave without repeatedly putting themselves in unnecessary danger, and they’re fiercely loyal, as when Kayla quickly responds when a bully thinks Wiki is an easy target. A late-in-the-story romance, while not surprising, is delightful and something that will hopefully evolve in subsequent installments. The ending makes it apparent which direction the next entry will likely take, and readers will surely yearn for more of Wiki, Kayla, Olivia, and Matthew. A series of colorful, cartoon-like, occasionally repetitive illustrations accompanies the text.
An entertaining introduction to some gifted adolescent heroes who will easily win fans.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty.
In this retelling of a classic, a drama student’s obsession with beauty leads her down a dark—and possibly deadly—path.
Eighteen-year-old Penny Paxton is beginning her first year at Dorian Drama Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she hopes to follow in her starlet mother’s footsteps—and earn the love that her mother has never seemed to offer. At Dorian, Penny is mentored by Royal Shakespeare Company legend Orlagh Camran, who makes her the compelling offer of a portrait by the Masked Painter, a mysterious artist with the ability to gift his subjects everlasting youth and beauty. But shortly after Penny’s portrait is complete, several of the Masked Painter’s subjects are found murdered. Fearing that she’s made a terrible mistake and may become the next victim, Penny, who’s gay, begins to investigate the murders with the help of an unlikely ally. As she attempts to uncover the truth surrounding the Masked Painter and the murders, she’s forced to reckon with her own toxic obsession with beauty. This chilling, atmospheric novel, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, is entertaining and full of twists, though some of the reveals feel contrived and some questions are left unanswered. The plot unravels at a leisurely pace but eventually builds to an action-packed (if somewhat convoluted) conclusion. Most characters are cued white.
An entertaining and atmospheric, though sometimes clumsy, exploration of the true cost of beauty. (content note, author’s note, bonus scene) (Fantasy thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781250346797
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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