Perceptively blends outdoor adventure with an authentic search for belonging.
“Wyatt the Worrier” tries to adapt during a summer in Montana.
Eleven-year-old Wyatt is an “indoor kind of guy.” He initially wasn’t thrilled about spending a month living off-grid in Montana with his dad, but he’s trying: “It’s so clear that he loves this place—I want to love it, too.” Wyatt and Dad have a good relationship, although they haven’t spoken as often since Dad left Indiana following the divorce. Wyatt looks forward to reconnecting through some quality time together, but their arrival at the Very-Very-Last-Chance Ranch reminds him that Dad now lives with his veterinarian fiancée, Iris; her 12-year-old son, Emmett; and rescued wild animals in various stages of rehabilitation. Despite the boys’ similar ages, outdoorsy Emmett is much taller and bolder, and Wyatt feels more out of place than ever—especially when he notices that “Dad and Emmett are a lot alike.” Wyatt’s bond with rescue wolf pup Goldie changes his perspective, and the boys come to acknowledge that strengths and weaknesses manifest in different ways. The main characters, who are cued white, are richly drawn, complex, and likable people. Wyatt’s wry, self-deprecating first-person narration offers insights into his growth as he comes to trust Emmett during a crisis involving Goldie, during which both boys find hidden reserves. Goldie, who longs for her pack, also narrates multiple chapters, although her sections feel less natural and distract from the arc of the human characters.
Perceptively blends outdoor adventure with an authentic search for belonging. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9781454945079
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 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
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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