A charming, imaginative, and magical tale that will leave animal lovers of all ages smiling.
A YA fantasy stars a collection of uniquely gifted animals.
Tuxedo is a sweet, 11-month-old huskita (a husky/Akita mix). In the series opener’s action-packed opening, he and his human, Julian Larsen, are returning home after a weekend visit with Julian’s mother. Kidnappers force Julian off the road and, leaving Tux trapped in his travel crate, push the man’s SUV into the lake. As the water inside the car rises, the terrified Tux howls and gasps what he assumes is his final breath. Suddenly, he is rescued by two industrious beavers and one quick-witted, indomitable red fox called Machias. Readers have now entered the magical world of the Chigakwa, chosen animals imbued with the gift of Sosha, an ancient human who communicated with the spirit world. Sosha transformed into a large wolf with extraordinary skills and a mission to protect humanity from evildoers. Today, the Chigakwa are an international coalition of select representatives of almost all animal species who can converse with one another. Their current leader is the great she-wolf Maheeni. Tux’s traumatic experience has suddenly “awakened” his inner Chigakwa. Through a cascading series of adventures with Machias and Chigakwa cohorts, Tux will put his newly discovered talents to work trying to save the missing Julian. But first Machias must bring Tux to the Mountain, the secret Chigakwa headquarters, where Maheeni will evaluate the canine’s potential. Beka and McKeever’s Disney-esque adventure is delightful and amusing, filled with witty dialogue that builds the major players, especially Machias, into characters solid enough to allow for easy suspension of disbelief. Despite an overly ambitious plotline (there turns out to be more at stake than Julian’s survival), the authors limit their use of the animals to activities that remain consistent with their species’ conventional physical abilities, making them more credible. The beavers use their strong teeth to pull Tux’s crate out of the car; the fox manipulates the locking mechanism with his mouth; and an adorable, newly recruited owl, Huckleberry, is a stealthy messenger. Their superpowers rest in their cognitive and communicative abilities.
A charming, imaginative, and magical tale that will leave animal lovers of all ages smiling.Pub Date: July 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-946702-69-2
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Freeze Time Media
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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