Though readers may be sad to say goodbye to the world and characters, it’s been a glitch-free runtime, and they’ll be...
The conclusion to the Secret Coders graphic novel series.
Immediately following Potions and Parameters (2018), multiracial trio Hopper, Eni, and Josh code a portal to Professor Bee’s two-dimensional home world, Flatland, to bring back a Turtle of Light so that they can stop the villainous Dr. One-Zero. In Flatland, Eni and Josh appear as polygons (based on their normal features, square and triangular respectively), and as a female, Hopper is reduced to a profile outline. After coding their way out of a tough spot, the three return to their home dimension, where they’re soon to be split up—Hopper’s mother wants to move them someplace safer, and Eni’s mother is transferring him to a sports-focused school. That leaves them precious little time to decipher Dr. One-Zero’s diabolical final scheme and find a way to counter it. Defeating him will take teamwork—Professor Bee teaches them to modularize, and each works on subprograms. The final fight is an entertaining one, with high stakes, plenty of action, ingenuity, and comedic moments. The denouement’s final storyline is resolved through age-appropriate character relations. After the story, a “The Making of Secret Coders” segment reveals early sketches and describes how the author-illustrator team worked together, and there’s information about Yang’s “Reading without Walls” challenge.
Though readers may be sad to say goodbye to the world and characters, it’s been a glitch-free runtime, and they’ll be satisfied at the final bits and bytes . (Graphic science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62672-610-9
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Horticulture pays off for an enterprising teen. If almost-14-year-old Jackson can bring his neighbor’s apple orchard back to life, he can keep any profits over $8,000 and become the owner of the orchard. Because Mrs. Nelson has reneged on promises in the past, this time he insists on a signed and witnessed contract. Of course, Jackson hasn’t the least idea how to grow apples. With a helpful library book, some timely advice, weeks of arduous work and the (mostly) willing assistance of his cousins and sisters, Jackson, with intense determination, attempts to produce a healthy crop, overcoming myriad obstacles along the way. With its 1980s-era rural New Mexico setting, complete with many references to contemporary popular culture, the ambience is that of an earlier time. Jackson tells his own story, at once trusting and skeptical, optimistic and despairing. Hawkins has created an enormously appealing character and an engaging plot. He includes detailed diagrams and perhaps more technical information than absolutely necessary, but readers will root for Jackson to win the day. Surprising and absorbing. (Historical fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-547-27977-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
The success of Mah’s memoirs (Falling Leaves, 1997, for adults and Chinese Cinderella, 1999, for kids) led to her well-received novel Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (2005) and historical overview China: Land of Dragons and Emperors (2008). Here, she tries to combine them all, blithely and unwisely stepping beyond her literary capabilities. Readers initially meet CC (the character from the previous novel) on what seems to be a mission in World War II China. Chased, she falls and enters a coma. A doctor hypnotizes her, and readers shift to the Song dynasty and CC’s previous life in a star-crossed romance, observing the scene in the famous painting Along the River at the Qing Ming Festival. Both setting and emotional tension rely heavily on cliché and exclamation points. The author abuses dialogue to cram in historical details (a visitor exclaiming “Good tea!” is treated to an encyclopedic definiton of white tea). It is unclear what story she is trying to tell: the romance? the story of the painting? the bookend of CC’s coma, which will be inexplicable to readers unfamiliar with the previous novel? As none succeed, the question may go unanswered. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-385-73895-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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