The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who fans are a natural audience for this story, but it may well build a...
This pseudo–science-fiction book provides laughs of all types: readers will progress from snickers to giggles to, finally, belly laughs and shouts of outrage.
A mismatched band of two adult humans, a self-activated car, and a golden-skinned cyborg begin a (seemingly) impossible task: capturing the most skillful thief in the planetary system before he destroys electrical service in 26th-century Neo City. In the Planetary Bureau of Investigation’s vast building, big-time grouch Blake Carter has his own office. The irascible Blake is the world expert on Bartholomew Badde, but he has been removed from the search for the villain—and saddled with cyborg Nicki Steel as a partner. When Badde abducts Blake’s daughter, Lisa, orders no longer count: Blake, Nicki, and Lisa’s mother, Astrid—and the car—are off on a chase to save her. The group survives riots, radioactive tunnels, and a sentient, oversized, mutated cheese sandwich. Puns, shaggy dog stories, snarky remarks, and hoaxes are just a few of the humorous elements used expertly here. And the end of the novel promises at least one sequel for readers’ delight. Nonhumans and outré skin colors are described, but there is little racial or ethnic detail provided otherwise, implying a mostly white human cast.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who fans are a natural audience for this story, but it may well build a broader readership once the word gets out. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-922182-86-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Text
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
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
Readers will be captivated by this twisty thriller and its uncompromising protagonist.
The mother Annabel Price thought was dead returns with a story about where she’s been—but 18-year-old Bel knows she’s lying.
Ever since Rachel Price’s unexplained disappearance 16 years ago, true-crime fans have come up with plentiful theories about what happened. Bel and her family members, who are white, cobbled together lives for themselves after a jury found Bel’s father, Charlie, not guilty of murdering his wife. Beset with medical bills for his elderly father, Charlie recently agreed to participate in a documentary about the unsolved mystery. Black British filmmaker Ramsey Lee is well into the process of interviewing the Prices when his project gets an unanticipated boost after an exhausted, disheveled Rachel staggers back into town. Rachel is eager to resume her role in the family, but the inconsistencies in her accounts raise alarms for Bel. With the help of the youngest member of the filmmaking team, Bel sets out to learn what really happened. Along the way, someone else disappears, and Bel uncovers a tangle of lies that make it impossible for her to trust people she thought she knew. When things come to a head the night of her grandfather’s 85th birthday party, Bel ends up in a race for her life. The last quarter of the novel tears along at a breakneck pace before arriving at a satisfying and unexpected conclusion.
Readers will be captivated by this twisty thriller and its uncompromising protagonist. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593374207
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
