This jam-packed, sometimes-muddled cross-genre tale proves consistently entertaining.
A teen is suddenly immersed in magic, otherworldly creatures, and parallel universes in Franco’s YA SF/fantasy novel and series kickoff.
Liam Hale gets a posthumous gift from his late mother Bree on his 14th birthday. It’s a mobile device that relays a holographic message that turns Liam’s life upside down: According to a projection of Bree, Liam is a demigod (as Bree had been), will attend a magic school, and will take over his mom’s role as keeper of the Seven Wonders (Earth and six other dimensions). He will have to be “initiated” before claiming the keeper’s throne within 90 days, or the resultant fight for the position will trigger an intergalactic war (“It’s too much power”). As if that weren’t enough pressure, Liam must also complete Bree’s mission of finding “the Pandora’s Box,” an artifact that will restore the balance between good and (currently rising) evil. Luckily, he’s got help: His allies include his best friend Ada, mage student Benji, and perpetually bickering witch-twins Zac and Zoe. Franco’s tale hops multiple genres—mythological beings like trolls, mermaids, dragons, and even Greek gods pop up, while such astonishing pieces of tech as dimension-traversing portals are crucial to the plot. It’s overwhelming, and some engaging subplots are unfortunately eclipsed, including Liam’s longstanding crush on the apparently oblivious Ada. Franco does deliver vivid and memorable set pieces, such as a planned burglary and a trek through the suitably named Eerie Forest. The cast shines, especially Liam and pals; Benji is a levelheaded counterpart to the immature twins, whose jabs never come across as truly malicious. But there’s simply too much to explore in this opening installment, which introduces alternate universes, a spiritual realm, and an ancient prophecy. That’s a lot for the sequels to tackle, and this novel’s smashing final-act turn makes checking them out a virtual necessity.
This jam-packed, sometimes-muddled cross-genre tale proves consistently entertaining.Pub Date: May 25, 2023
ISBN: 9786500689662
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Jan. 30, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A prototypical survival story: after an airplane crash, a 13-year-old city boy spends two months alone in the Canadian wilderness. In transit between his divorcing parents, Brian is the plane's only passenger. After casually showing him how to steer, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. In a breathtaking sequence, Brian maneuvers the plane for hours while he tries to think what to do, at last crashing as gently and levelly as he can manage into a lake. The plane sinks; all he has left is a hatchet, attached to his belt. His injuries prove painful but not fundamental. In time, he builds a shelter, experiments with berries, finds turtle eggs, starts a fire, makes a bow and arrow to catch fish and birds, and makes peace with the larger wildlife. He also battles despair and emerges more patient, prepared to learn from his mistakes—when a rogue moose attacks him and a fierce storm reminds him of his mortality, he's prepared to make repairs with philosophical persistence. His mixed feelings surprise him when the plane finally surfaces so that he can retrieve the survival pack; and then he's rescued. Plausible, taut, this is a spellbinding account. Paulsen's staccato, repetitive style conveys Brian's stress; his combination of third-person narrative with Brian's interior monologue pulls the reader into the story. Brian's angst over a terrible secret—he's seen his mother with another man—is undeveloped and doesn't contribute much, except as one item from his previous life that he sees in better perspective, as a result of his experience. High interest, not hard to read. A winner.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1987
ISBN: 1416925082
Page Count: -
Publisher: Bradbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987
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