The debut YA novel from author duo Goebel and Jacisinova finds a group of teenagers fighting to prevent the next nuclear catastrophe.
Thirty years after World War III, the world—what’s left of it—has finally learned from its mistakes. All weapons and warfare are illegal, and a single world government is responsible for guarding the few remaining nuclear missiles. Control of this international body changes every two years, but instead of elections, the head of this organization is decided by a youth soccer tournament: Whichever team wins, its country’s leader controls the global government. China has won the past five tournaments, but this year, for the first time ever, the nation of Alaska has a shot at taking the title. Alaska, which is all that’s left of the former United States, is led by the all-star trio of Jason, the determined goalie; Cassie, a girl trying to prove herself in a boy’s world; and Reed, the brilliant striker and spoiled son of Alaska’s security minister. But history is doomed to repeat itself. Jason’s twin brother, Nate, sent to a secret government training facility after his soccer career was ended by injury, reveals to his brother the president’s plot to take over the world, win or lose. There is plenty of excitement here, almost all of it on the soccer pitch. The stakes couldn’t be higher, yet somehow the reader doesn’t feel the dread. There’s plenty of sneaking between rooms at the World Cup village, but the book is never clear on what, exactly, are the consequences of getting caught. Evil is rarely in the flesh: The president appears infrequently and briefly, the soccer coach is harsh but not sinister, and Reed’s father is more of a benign pawn than an actual enemy. The reader waits for the kids to make a stand or for at least the inkling of an uprising. Instead, the kids just keep scoring goals.
Young readers are sure to relate to these characters, but the book needs to spend more time off the field.
Pub Date: June 11, 2013
ISBN: 978-0615817651
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Menotomy Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 19, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The greeting-card art and jokey rhymes work for the baby-shower market but not for the youngest readers.
Animal parents declare their love for their offspring through rhymed puns and sentimental art.
The title sets the scene for what’s to come: The owl asks the owlet as they fly together, “WHOO loves you?”; the kangaroo and joey make each other “very HOPPY”; and the lioness and cub are a “PURRRFECT pair.” Most of the puns are both unimaginative and groanworthy, and they are likely to go over the heads of toddlers, who are not know for their wordplay abilities. The text is set in abcb quatrains split over two double-page spreads. On each spread, one couplet appears on the verso within a lightly decorated border on pastel pages. On the recto, a full-bleed portrait of the animal and baby appears in softly colored and cozy images. Hearts are prominent on every page, floating between the parent and baby as if it is necessary to show the love between each pair. Although these critters are depicted in mistily conceived natural habitats and are unclothed, they are human stand-ins through and through.
The greeting-card art and jokey rhymes work for the baby-shower market but not for the youngest readers. (Board book. 6 mos-2)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-1374-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A spectacular return to a magical world.
Following the events of Impossible Creatures (2024), a devoted Guardian teams up with a brave princess to fight her power-hungry uncle and save the Archipelago’s dragons from a strange new threat.
Jacques the dragon summons Christopher Forrester back to the Archipelago from the human world: Dragons are dying, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, on the island of Dousha, Princess Anya’s grandfather, King Halam, has been murdered, and her father accused—though she knows he’s innocent. When Christopher and Anya take refuge on the islet of Glimt, the Berserker Nighthand helps them see how their twin missions to save the dragons and free Anya’s father are connected. They work together to create an antidote for the poison that’s killing the dragons and to keep Anya and her father safe from her murderous uncle. Meanwhile, Nighthand and Irian, the part-nereid ocean scholar, pursue their own important secret mission. Divided into three parts—“Castle,” “Dragons,” and “Revenge”—and containing elements of fairy tales, fantasy, and Shakespeare, this story continues the storyline established in the series opener, yet because it introduces new characters and obstacles, it could also stand alone. Dark-blond Anya (“five feet tall and all of it claws”) is a match for white-presenting Christopher, who, though he still misses Mal, finds that “it made a difference to have someone to move through the world with again. A friend changed the feel of the universe.” Mackenzie’s delicate, otherworldly art adorns the text.
A spectacular return to a magical world. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-15)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780593809907
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
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