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NED THE NEURON

Name: NED THE NEURON
Author: Erica Warp

by Erica Warp & illustrated by Andy Warner & developed by Kizoom Labs ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 9, 2012

A rangy introduction to the parts of the brain and their functions that skips or dives, your choice.

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A deep-dish serving of brain matter, but surprisingly digestible for all that.

There is no skirting around the fact that the brain is a complex instrument and that its parts are identified by words of an equally complex order: amygdala, sensory homunculus, thalamus. But Warp manages to glean the salient points while connecting the parts of the brain like so many axons. Ned is a trainee neuron who travels about the brain and the central nervous system while trying to solve a problem for his host, Sophie, who has stepped on a rock and is now in danger of having to stop doing cartwheels. This has Ned in a lather, as he loves cartwheeling. The story is rather silly and immature for the material being covered, but it does add light relief—as does the playful, Hanna-Barbera–like artwork—when confronting action potentials and hippocampi, dendrites and synapses. The app is designed to work deeply into the brain, one layer leading to the next, though readers can also skim—thus allowing for a broad range of ages and capabilities—and there is frequent opportunity to revisit brain parts and activities for refreshers, either via hot words in the text or a handy toolbar at the top of the screen. Both the story and the curricular narrators keep a light, unthreatening tone.

A rangy introduction to the parts of the brain and their functions that skips or dives, your choice. (works on iPad 2 and above) (iPad informational app. 10-14)

Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2012

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Kizoom

Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2012

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THE NEVERFEAR

From the Impossible Creatures series , Vol. 3

by Katherine Rundell ; illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2026

Brilliant.

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Young heroes rise to the challenge of protecting their home, family, and world when a new villain threatens the Glimouria Archipelago and the Immortal in this third series entry.

“New trouble” comes to the sanctuary of Glimt when Irian Guinne is kidnapped and Teren, the young Immortal, is threatened. Christopher Forrester, former princess Anya, jaculus dragon Jacques, and ratatoska navigator Ratwin undertake a series of herculean tasks to fulfill the kidnappers’ demands and free Irian, all without Nighthand’s knowledge or help. Christopher seeks knowledge from Naravirala the sphinx to understand his new, deeper connection to creatures (“It is the people you love who anchor you”), while Anya leans into her warrior nature (“What if I was born to be brave?”). Meanwhile, bandits with ouroboros bracelets pillage and burn across the Archipelago at the command of Astor Morax, and a fearsome tiger spies through mirrors. The white-presenting leads’ quest to save Irian is central, but brief sections visit Irian, Nighthand, and beautiful, deadly Carla Venasque. The climactic Battle of Glimt features ferocity, cleverness, sacrifice, and bravery, and the ending is more Shakespearean comedy than tragedy—but the danger to Teren is not over, leaving eager readers to await the fourth installment. This is a perfectly paced, mythology-laced tale of action, adventure, and heart that reminds readers that “the only thing stronger than fear is love, unceasingly and exultantly given.” Final art not seen.

Brilliant. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026

ISBN: 9780593809945

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S DRAGONS & MYTHICAL CREATURES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE POISONED KING
by Katherine Rundell ; illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie

- BOOK REVIEW
IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES
by Katherine Rundell ; illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie

- BOOK REVIEW
THE ZEBRA'S GREAT ESCAPE
by Katherine Rundell ; illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

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FACTS OF LIFE

STORIES

by Gary Soto ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2008

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A young man who unwittingly helps a punk steal an elderly couple’s television in the first story sets the somewhat uneasy tone for this collection. While glimpses of Soto’s characteristic humor and charm appear in later stories, many of these tales focus on less-than-comfortable events and experiences. There’s a girl whose tattooed and pierced babysitter dyes her younger brother’s hair orange and green, a fact sure to enrage their mom when she eventually finds out; a child who is achingly aware of the enmity of anti-war protesters and simultaneously proud of her immigrant parents’ efforts to improve their lives; and a sad young boy whose painfully polite parents have frozen him out of the family without apparently meaning to do so. Each situation is distinct, clearly drawn and immediate. Soto presents his characters with sometimes insurmountable challenges, but he limns their lives with such vivid descriptions and insights that readers will be left wondering how things work out—and wishing for the best. (Fiction. 11-14)