A fun, fast-paced adventure with surprises around every turn.
In Penate’s YA novel, 13 strangers embark on a journey to connect with a parallel universe where they hope to harness the power of time travel.
When the group first meets at a classified location deep in the Brazilian jungle, each person carries a skeleton key from one of 12 ancient families. In these early sections, Penate’s voice is simple and direct, as if the author is telling the story around the campfire. The designees are stingy with their back stories, but even as they wait for the group to fully assemble, seeds of conflict are planted. Sergei and Jeremy soon wrestle for the leadership role, while Marian isn’t sure she can trust Rafiki after he lies about his name. Although the tension develops unevenly as the story goes on—a unanimous voting system solves most of their conflicts—readers are rewarded when the characters pool their talents to solve riddles. The action clips along at a rapid pace once the group leaves base camp, as their quest divides into smaller tasks spread out among locations from China to Spain. In each challenge, the teammates manipulate magical objects such as golden plates, medallions and boxes to either advance to the next step or, if they fail, to start again—a format that’s as satisfying as completing levels of a video game. Some items hold special powers, like a spyglass that illuminates the dark; others are inscribed with riddles for the group to solve or can be used to barter with people they encounter along the way. The appeal of the objects isn’t in their value, but in the ways they test the characters, who reveal a captivating array of supernatural abilities as they tackle each task. Hassan, for example, uses his telekinetic powers to direct an unstable arrow to its target; Minnie, who can blend into her surroundings like a chameleon, carries a laundry bag full of treasure past armed guards without being seen. Just when the journey’s end is in sight, the group dynamics take a turn for the worse, and the teammates question the person holding the 13th key; what they learn opens the door for a sequel.
A fun, fast-paced adventure with surprises around every turn.Pub Date: April 8, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4959-9178-3
Page Count: 298
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A prototypical survival story: after an airplane crash, a 13-year-old city boy spends two months alone in the Canadian wilderness. In transit between his divorcing parents, Brian is the plane's only passenger. After casually showing him how to steer, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. In a breathtaking sequence, Brian maneuvers the plane for hours while he tries to think what to do, at last crashing as gently and levelly as he can manage into a lake. The plane sinks; all he has left is a hatchet, attached to his belt. His injuries prove painful but not fundamental. In time, he builds a shelter, experiments with berries, finds turtle eggs, starts a fire, makes a bow and arrow to catch fish and birds, and makes peace with the larger wildlife. He also battles despair and emerges more patient, prepared to learn from his mistakes—when a rogue moose attacks him and a fierce storm reminds him of his mortality, he's prepared to make repairs with philosophical persistence. His mixed feelings surprise him when the plane finally surfaces so that he can retrieve the survival pack; and then he's rescued. Plausible, taut, this is a spellbinding account. Paulsen's staccato, repetitive style conveys Brian's stress; his combination of third-person narrative with Brian's interior monologue pulls the reader into the story. Brian's angst over a terrible secret—he's seen his mother with another man—is undeveloped and doesn't contribute much, except as one item from his previous life that he sees in better perspective, as a result of his experience. High interest, not hard to read. A winner.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1987
ISBN: 1416925082
Page Count: -
Publisher: Bradbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987
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
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