A well-illustrated and often clever adventure with entertaining twists and turns.
In Ness’s debut middle-grade novel, an alien keeps a human as a pet.
Zira, a young, green-skinned “blorxling” with antennae, has “been begging her mom for decades” for a pet. She asks her older brother, Lazro, to convince their mother to let her get an earthling. Lazro does so, but keeps it a secret, as does Riffa, Zira’s older sister. Zira is surprised with an earthling named Rolo, who’s content in his situation. He’s fed “goopy food” and walks his own tiny green pet, Quiggles. One day, Rolo sees “animal rights activists” with signs saying that “Earthlings Have Rights Too.” He wonders: Were there always earthlings on Blorx? Later, he asks his earthling friends, “don’t you ever wonder if maybe there’s something more?” He unintentionally draws the attention of earthling catchers (“Animal Control Force”) for violating a civil regulation that “requires earthlings to be under direct supervision of their owners or wranglers at all times in public.” Rolo flees, but the earthling catchers, Zira, and Riffa chase after him; the chase gives readers an overview of Blorx and the military might of the Animal Control Force. Eventually, Rolo and company meet Grandam Zananna, a curator at a science museum who shares information about earthlings. Young pet owners will easily understand moments that parallel how real-life human beings relate to their pets; early in the story, for instance, Rolo is pictured in a dark “cardboard box, with just a little ambient light shining from the twelve round air holes near the top.” Kids will be kept in suspense throughout Rolo’s adventures, however, and remain curious about his fate. Ness’ story has unimaginative details at times, as with place names such as “Blorfrica,” “Blurope,” and “Blasia.” However, Komarenko’s cartoon images will delight children with their colorful and creative renderings of blorxlings and other creatures.
A well-illustrated and often clever adventure with entertaining twists and turns.Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2023
ISBN: 9798988037101
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Zira Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic.
A loyal black kitten’s boy is under supernatural attack.
Eleven-month-old Nimbus loves Fletcher, the boy who nursed her back to health following life-threatening injuries. When Fletcher becomes curious about a strange jar and opens it, releasing a terrible goblin, loyal Nim protects Fletcher, taking heavy damage in the process. But Fletcher’s aunt, who’s caring for him over spring break, believes Nim attacked Fletcher and dumps her far from home. Rhett, a stylish rat with star quality, befriends injured Nim and leads her to a witch’s house. While the witch cares for Nim, the witch’s cats (maternal Fern, bookish Rochester, standoffish Bianca, and openly hostile Abraxas) teach Nim important cat skills. She also discovers she has a supernatural ability: In destroying one eye of the nightmare demon in the fight to protect Fletcher, Nim gained its “dream sight.” But she also learns it might come back for Fletcher, who no longer has Nim to protect him, posing a time-sensitive, high-stakes threat. Even though the witch’s home is nice and magic itself seems to be telling her to stay put, Nim wants to find a way back to Fletcher. As a hero, Nimbus is as gritty and determined as she is adorable. Tear-jerker moments explore pet abandonment—readers may want their own pets on hand to hug—all the way through the magical, action-packed finale. Fletcher and the witch read white.
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780062680372
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short.
In the dystopian, totalitarian world of 2099, 14-year-old Tessa and her family are desperate to solve the mystery of her twin brother Theo’s disappearance.
Tessa is growing up in a time when playgrounds are historical relics, surveillance cameras are everywhere, music is outlawed, and owning books is illegal. Under the absolute rule of Zokiris, the decadeslong leader of her territory, people are heavily controlled. When Theo vanishes under mysterious circumstances and his name is erased from the Territory Statistics list, Tessa’s 135-year-old neighbor, Miriam, gives the family contraband books that become central to figuring out Theo’s whereabouts. Most books have long since been seized and stored away in Building 903; Tessa is intrigued by their presence in her home, while her mother is terrified. Lowry, the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Giver (1993), shines in her creation of uncomfortably believable dystopian societies. Tessa’s painfully limited world is fully imagined, with its own history, laws, and norms. Her relationship with her brother reads as realistic and tender and is crucial to the mystery. Miriam is the most strongly developed character: wise and independent, unafraid and hopeful. While the climb to the book’s climax is captivating, the hurried resolution is disappointing. The powerful messaging around the importance of literature and imagination certainly resonates, however. The main characters present white.
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short. (Dystopian. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780063515109
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
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