A short, enjoyable fantasy that revels in delightful quirkiness.
Two eccentric people stumble into a bizarre and precarious alternate world in Wasserman’s debut novella.
Regalbop’s origins are somewhat murky. He and his parents hail from planet Zorian and now live on Earth. Regalbop sports a unique look: He’s hairless, with skin the color and texture of an avocado, big ears and feet, and a large nose. One day, that nose falls off, which draws a crowd, including the bulging-eyed, red-cheeked Pollybip. She helps to recover and reattach his nose, but later, when Regalbop’s ears also fall off, she walks away with them. This leads to mishaps with the police; before long, they’re both dodging the authorities. Amazingly, Regalbop and Pollybip pass through a mirror in his attic into a parallel world with quicksandlike green slime and scary creatures that want to eat them. The two must fight just to survive, much less pursue any hope of making it back home. Radiant details enliven both the characters and the landscape; a largely barren, pale blue desert is trailed by an atmospheric fog that’s too easy to lose oneself in. The relatively few outlandish creatures include birds with huge wingspans and a bright-red predator that stands 15 feet tall and has an even longer tail. But as exciting as this strange dimension is, it’s not quite as fun or gleefully offbeat as the misadventures the two leads have in their own world. Their bumbling is hilarious; when the police question Regalbop, he can only hear Pollybip, who still has his ears, singing in the shower (“Soon Regalbop heard Pollybip introducing herself to a police officer, and he knew she had come to the station and had his ears with her. Oh, thank heavens, he thought”). The story concludes with a somewhat abrupt ending that implies illuminating sequels will follow.
A short, enjoyable fantasy that revels in delightful quirkiness.Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781958217924
Page Count: 83
Publisher: Stillwater River Publications
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Somberly beautiful.
A girl goes in search of her missing sister and discovers a strange hidden world of dreams.
Corin, who’s 18 and dark-skinned, strives to protect her 12-year-old sister, Elly. But life as a thief is full of struggle, poverty, and loss, even without Corin’s avoidance of other relationships. Elly clings to the promise of fairy tales, like the one that says a princess lies sleeping in an underground castle after pricking her finger on a spindle. After the sisters fight and Elly runs off, Corin searches for her in Gyldan’s old network of tunnels—and finds the tale is true: Cursed Princess Amelia, golden-haired, with eyes like “sea glass” and porcelain skin, lies asleep, surrounded by flowers. Corin enters the princess’ dreamworld—the place “where your subconscious desires come to life.” She meets Briar Rose, Amelia’s alter ego, who experienced her share of sadness and wanted to fall asleep. Also in the dreamworld is green-skinned Malicine, the nonbinary demon who, despite having placed the curse of eternal slumber on Amelia, is mostly friendly. All three are running from things they can’t face, though the dreamworld may not give them a choice. Pham’s debut, a Sapphic reimagining of “Sleeping Beauty,” explores mental health and asks a lot of readers as it seesaws between emotional confrontations, time jumps, and scenes where one character inhabits the memories of another, all of which demand intense engagement. Still, the ending is earned as well as positive.
Somberly beautiful. (content note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9798217113026
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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