In the end, the lampoon falls victim to its own sense of irony, making Buck feel like a secondary character in someone...
As the title indicates, a novel that attempts to subvert and poke fun at fantasy tropes.
A superfan of the series Triumphant Gnome Syndicate, Buck Rogers knows all the trivia. Buck, a white boy, and his friend Lizzie Adams, a multiracial (black/white) girl, eagerly await the midnight release of Gnome-A-Geddon, the series’ newest. Compounding the excitement, author Harold Macinaw makes a surprise appearance but then suddenly disappears. The next morning, Buck and Lizzie find replicas of themselves, and none of the adults can be woken. Possibly even more alarmingly, rows of children, including Buck’s little sister, Willy, march trancelike into a dumpster behind the bookstore. It turns out Flipside, the world of the books, is real. Using his comprehensive knowledge of the Triumphant Gnome Syndicate, Buck must find Macinaw and rescue Willy, but Flipside is more terrifying than he could have imagined. Like so many other fantasy protagonists, Buck is liberal with the snark, but some of the humor falls flat, as when he postulates that Lizzie might be part Troll because she’s multiracial. Lizzie never rises above the role of Buck’s sidekick, even though she reprimands Buck for not allowing her to fully participate in the adventure, and other characters do not rise above Buck’s preconceived notions of them.
In the end, the lampoon falls victim to its own sense of irony, making Buck feel like a secondary character in someone else’s story and not quite a protagonist in his own . (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7845-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A school story with a twist, told with humor, insight, and empathy.
What does it mean to be human?
Mr. Aidact is the new teacher at Brightling Middle School. He immediately makes a strong impression when, despite having his back turned, he reaches out and catches a spitball the moment before it hits his head. This does not endear him to spitball-thrower Oliver Zahn, Brightling’s self-described foremost rule breaker and the first narrator in this tale told through multiple perspectives. Gifted student and field hockey player Rosalie Arnette, like many kids her age, is just trying to figure out how to negotiate the hallways and the middle school social structure. Nathan Popova, Oliver’s best friend, enjoys a good prank but doesn’t want to get in trouble, which is hard when your buddy actively goes looking for it. Steinke Newhouse—who really hates being called Stinky—feels his greatest talent is arguing, which regularly lands him in detention. Although Mr. Aidact seems to be very literal and to lack a sense of humor, he sees and gets each student, meeting them where they’re at. Is he too good to be true? Oliver and Nathan know something’s up—but the answer, which brings in AI and government experiments—surprises even them. Each viewpoint is distinct, and most characters are multifaceted. Most characters default to White.
A school story with a twist, told with humor, insight, and empathy. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-303279-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
Superbly written and illustrated; keeps readers breathless and guessing until the end.
A 22nd-century picaresque with nefarious characters, chosen family, unavoidable camping, and lifesaving butterflies.
It’s 2101, and most mammals have died from sun exposure—a fate the few remaining humans suffer if they don’t live underground as Deepers. Some Deepers are friendly; others will take what they can get by any means necessary. Since Elvie’s parents departed for Michoacán, Mexico, 8 years earlier in search of more monarch butterflies, ran into danger, and have not returned, 10-year-old Black science whiz Elvie has been cared for by her guardian, Flora, a White scientist. Flora and Elvie hope to make a vaccine that enables humans to tolerate sunlight. They struggle to find food, and Flora’s awful cooking sometimes makes their foraged food inedible. Elvie’s journals, which contain her homework, science notes, and sketches, trace their journey—including tracking their latitude and longitude daily—as they follow the amazing migration path of the monarchs, whose young have the ingredient necessary for making both the sun sickness antidote and the vaccine. The eclecticism of Case’s lively visuals in this riveting graphic novel will keep readers both enthralled and learning. The book teaches some astronomy, botany, biology, entomology, animal science, knot tying, and more. Elvie’s special relationship with Flora, along with her quick wit, scientific knowledge, and careful observation skills, makes her a character worth following. Yet she’s all kid—and one who badly wants to be reunited with her parents.
Superbly written and illustrated; keeps readers breathless and guessing until the end. (author's note) (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4260-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
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