Out-of-this-world potty humor with heart among the toots.
A projectile toilet spells danger—and mess—for Area 51 and its residents.
Sky Patel-Baum has had a lot of firsts since moving from boring California to Area 51. The latest first: Her alien bestie’s long-lost (read: assumed dead) parents come to visit via UFO with a surprise little brother in tow. Complicated family dynamics abound, and the interstellar visitors warn that the Arthogus (an exiled alien species) are in cahoots with someone on the base to exact their revenge. Their method of destruction: launching a poop-filled space toilet at Area 51. The odds of survival? 13.875%. But who could the double agent be? Sky and friends team up once again to get to the bottom of the latest mystery—and flush the intruder out. Buxbaum’s second series entry one-ups its predecessor in ridiculousness, including a bounty of fart puns. The first-person narration allows Sky’s infectious personality to shine. Well-placed clues and red herrings help keep the mystery fresh while expanding the setting. The pseudo “Scooby-Doo gang” welcomes a new member in talented hacker Gertie, an astronaut’s daughter. Naidu’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations effectively punctuate jokes and offer occasional helpful asides. Characters are drawn in a range of skin tones; Gertie reads Black. Another cliffhanger ending makes a key revelation in addition to hinting at the next installment.
Out-of-this-world potty humor with heart among the toots. (recipes) (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: July 25, 2023
ISBN: 9780593429501
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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