A complex, intriguing YA sci-fi adventure.
In this dystopian young-adult novel, a teenage girl with a secret genetic anomaly undergoes grueling military training—and also finds love.
In Rix’s debut, the first in a planned trilogy, America closed its borders after an asteroid known as “God's Fury” destroyed most of the world. Now, the Department of Evolution, or “Devo,” carefully culls people not deemed genetically acceptable and controls breeding to enhance or remove genetic traits. Devotees serve the Devo to ensure order and genetic purity—because beyond the borders, genetically imperfect Deviants are lurking, trying to get in. Sixteen-year-old Jess Grant and her best friend, Jay, have only a few possible futures: They can become Devotees, become breeders or join the military. But Jess has a reason to avoid the Devotees—she has a genetic defect that has given her a brown mark on her stomach, and the ability to react at superspeed when attacked. The handsome, mysterious Sgt. Matt Anderson takes a special interest in her and picks her to be a part of his Black Ops squad. Soon, she’s learning to shoot guns and throw knives as part of her military training while also exploring a romance with Matt. Jess eventually finds out that people outside the borders may not be monsters; later, she learns that she may be a prophesied savior of the world known as “The Navigator.” Although this dystopian novel doesn’t tread much new ground, it does provide a magnificently imagined world and intriguing characters. Rix engagingly plays out Jess and Matt’s relationship with subtle touches, longing looks and playful banter. She also effectively challenges her young readers to face difficult questions—what does “human” mean, and who should decide?—while ably setting the stage for an upcoming sequel.
A complex, intriguing YA sci-fi adventure.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Dog Ear Publisher
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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