An on-trend premise for a page-turning story that’s sprinkled with smart life lessons.
The four Coleridge kids vie to be chosen as the new brand ambassador for their billionaire dad’s clothing empire.
In the wake of their parents’ divorce three years ago, eighth grader Harper, twins Dylan and Lacey, and youngest child Bobby relocated with their mom to “dumpy suburban” Sugarberry, Oklahoma. Chaos ensues when their dad blows into town from Los Angeles, complete with security detail and a flashy, traffic-disrupting motorcade. He’s in town to choose “the face of Zzazz,” his ultra-popular kids’ and teen clothing company, from among his children. The winner will accompany him on a yearlong global tour as he rolls out his new international offshoot, Z-Fire. The siblings take turns narrating chapters as the competition brings out their best and worst. Korman drops plenty of brand names as the kids jet around the country with their dad. He also includes lessons on chasing easy money and the fickle nature of fame. Each of the kids, who present white, has distinctive traits that seem designed to draw readers to identify with them: There’s fashionista Harper, who’s a math ace (and struggling reader); popular, sporty Dylan; animal lover Lacey, who finds friendship difficult; and chess champion Bobby. Korman's practiced hand is evident in the tightly executed, swiftly moving interwoven plotlines. The young characters demonstrate growth and insight, in contrast to their self-centered dad and his pop star girlfriend, who serve as cautionary examples.
An on-trend premise for a page-turning story that’s sprinkled with smart life lessons. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2027
ISBN: 9781250400406
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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