A fun, frightening, and unfortunately not-so-futuristic techno-horror.
The latest in Kelly and Schrefer’s Black Mirror–esque series sees artificial intelligence wreaking havoc on an unsuspecting boy’s life.
Being the new kid at school is never easy, but Lewis is lucky to have met his popular neighbor Maia before the end of summer break. The Pandamonium his parents got him, an AI-powered stuffed panda, is less helpful—Panda Mo, as the toy calls himself, quickly begins pressuring Lewis into playing mean tricks on his elderly landlady/babysitter, Mrs. Bailey. The toy craze spreads to Maia and Lewis’ friend group, with each kid (except one) getting one of the plush creatures; each bears a different name, but they all have similar goals. Outspoken Maia’s resistance to the manipulative toys leads to her ostracization from the group; meanwhile, Panda Mo’s controlling behavior intensifies, and all the Pandamoniums begin adding parts to themselves to grow bigger for terrifyingly malevolent reasons. The weight of manipulative influence and the perils of peer pressure slowly build as Lewis and his friends come face-to-face with an AI-driven nightmare of monster proportions. A smooth, swift pace combines with abundant illustrations that drive home the creepy-cute combination; very real social fears amplify the emotional context. Lewis presents white; diversity is cued in the artwork and characters’ names.
A fun, frightening, and unfortunately not-so-futuristic techno-horror. (Horror. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9781464241079
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Stonefruit Studio/Sourcebooks
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
Supernatural mystery meets generational drama with hopeful endings for all.
Eleven-year-old Frank must solve a supernatural mystery to save his new home.
As fifth grade comes to an end, Frank Fernández is looking forward to finally staying put in Alabama for a second year, as promised, after a childhood spent following his parents’ home renovation work all across the country. Frequent relocation has made Frank wary of forming friendships or making plans, but his hopes for more stability are temporarily dashed when his parents announce plans to renovate a lighthouse in the Florida Keys, near where his mother grew up and his father’s home country of Cuba. Papi promises this will be their last move, though: The lighthouse will be theirs. But from their first day on Spectacle Key, things seem to go wrong: Tensions rise between his parents, and Frank’s hopes of a forever home are under threat from seemingly supernatural forces. In order to put down roots, Frank and new ghostly friend Connie, a White girl with freckles, must discover what secrets the island is hiding, uncovering Frank’s own family roots along the way. Frank is a fan of horror—he names his new Great Dane puppy Mary Shelley. But though there is some mild peril to be found, rather than a ghostly thriller, this is an appealing, lightly spooky family drama with valuable lessons for those who would hide from a difficult past instead of confronting and healing generational trauma.
Supernatural mystery meets generational drama with hopeful endings for all. (Supernatural. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-313481-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Funny delivery, but some jokes really miss the mark.
An animal ghost seeks closure after enduring aquatic atrocities.
In this sequel to The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter (2020), sixth grader Rex is determined to once again use his ability to communicate with dead animals for the greater good. A ghost narwhal’s visit gives Rex his next opportunity in the form of the clue “bad water.” Rex enlists Darvish—his Pakistani American human best friend—and Drumstick—his “faithful (dead) chicken”—to help crack the case. But the mystery is only one of Rex’s many roadblocks. For starters, Sami Mulpepper hugged him at a dance, and now she’s his “accidental girlfriend.” Even worse, Darvish develops one of what Rex calls “Game Preoccupation Disorders” over role-playing game Monsters & Mayhem that may well threaten the pair’s friendship. Will Rex become “a Sherlock without a Watson,” or can the two make amends in time to solve the mystery? This second outing effectively carries the “ghost-mist” torch from its predecessor without feeling too much like a formulaic carbon copy. Spouting terms like plausible deniability and in flagrante delicto, Rex makes for a hilariously bombastic (if unlikable) first-person narrator. The over-the-top style is contagious, and black-and-white illustrations throughout add cartoony punchlines to various scenes. Unfortunately, scenes in which humor comes at the expense of those with less status are downright cringeworthy, as when Rex, who reads as White, riffs on the impossibility of his ever pronouncing Darvish’s surname or he plays dumb by staring into space and drooling.
Funny delivery, but some jokes really miss the mark. (Paranormal mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5523-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
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