A wild and compelling journey for young readers.
In the second book of Colless’ middle-grade science-fantasy series, Peter Blue and his talented friends must foil a plot involving strange imps and yellow fog.
Wanda Shore is secretly burying a toy plastic unicorn, since her new school, Spiral Hall, is a plastic-free campus: “It turned out, getting into the top school to save the world came with a sacrifice.” Suddenly, a strange wind kicks up and digs up all her items, but she must temporarily leave the mess behind, because Spiral Hall is having its opening assembly of the year. The strange wind is actually made of young creatures called Renegale imps, who wreak havoc on the school after passing through its protective shield; they destroy a wind turbine and kill a flock of pelicans. The diverse mix of students, in addition to Wanda (a huge fan of the social media app ChattaFox), includes her roommate, Riva du Lac; the upbeat Roly Portagalo; science enthusiast Chu Lee Wong; Tipi Patel, who can communicate with nature spirits; and Peter Blue, a low-tech student who’s a natural leader. On his way to the assembly, Peter is asked by Global Advanced Intelligence Agency agent Artiss Fleur to gather a small group to catch the imps, whose playful games are causing the problems. At the assembly, Della Rex, vice president of the intelligence agency GAIA, reveals that a yellow fog has been unleashed on five cities, rendering their children ill. Could these events be connected? Over the course of this adventure, Colless effectively raises the stakes when three children accidentally blow out of the school’s protective force field while trying to send the imps home. The story eventually leads readers to an intriguing volcanic island where the fog is created. Along the way, Colless adeptly weaves science fiction, fantasy, and adventure story elements into an engaging tale that features child protagonists and adult antagonists. Overall, it’s a charming and intricate tale that will particularly interest youngsters concerned about environmental issues, which are a key aspect of the series.
A wild and compelling journey for young readers.Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9789526524405
Page Count: 456
Publisher: Peter Blue Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Unforgettably quirky, fast-paced fun.
In a race against their enemies, the Porch girls must find a peculiar pearl in order to foil a fiendish plot.
After defeating a monstrous Kyrgalops in The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science (2024), Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee Porch find themselves (after a series of madcap events) at Lake Kagloopy’s Purple Pearl Hotel with their mentor, Millicent Quibb. Quibb informs the trio that they must find the titular pearl before the members of their evil mad-scientist rivals, the KRA, do. If they fail, the KRA (whose members include the malevolent mayor, Majestina DeWeen, and her slimy sycophantic lawyer, Ashley Cookie) plans to use the gem to bestow the Gift of Endless Vibrancy on the villainous Talon Sharktūth. Hilarity ensues as the Porches attend the annual Shrimp Ball, encounter Umbrella Turkeys, search for Cloudite (floating cloud rocks), and don invisible but smelly woolen coats. Jokes aside, the girls’ story is intriguing, offering more clues to their mysterious backgrounds and tantalizing tidbits promising later adventures. McKinnon offers bountiful backstory (alongside a running joke to encourage readers to pick up the preceding volume) and enough guffaw-inducing jokes, zany footnotes, and creative jargon to enthrall readers both new and old with her delightful sophomore effort. Mixing humor, found family, and well-wrought worldbuilding, this sequel is a certain crowd pleaser. Final art not seen; in the previous book, the grayscale illustrations showed the girls with varying skin tones.
Unforgettably quirky, fast-paced fun. (appendices) (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780316555296
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
