A wholesome, modern twist on the classic legend that could provide a gateway for newer readers and fun for the gaming set.
Two contemporary gamers find themselves living a real-life fantasy adventure with the future King Arthur and Guinevere even as they navigate rough-water friendships.
Twelve-year-old Sophie and her best friend, Stu, play “Camelot’s Honor,” an online video game based on Arthurian legend. Unknown to them, their third party member is the real wizard Merlin, connected with time-traveling Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, 13-year-old Arthur and Princess Guinevere pal around. One day, instead of pulling a certain sword out of a stone, he falls through a magic well, landing in 21st-century Massachusetts. After he learns his legendary fate with a search on “the Google,” he decides to stay and play football, a decision that drastically alters history. The four teens travel through time and face the vengeful sorceress Morgana—but, as Merlin says, “unfortunately in real life there are no do-overs.” Mancusi builds suspense well in this series opener. The casual, multiple-perspective narration keeps the characters familiar and approachable for young readers, even within the medieval setting. The ultimate message is muddled, however; dreams of self-determination clash with apparently inevitable destinies. There is some troubling gender treatment: Even though Guinevere can fight, she still needs rescuing and ends up pigeonholed as romantic drama, and the text fails to challenge Arthur's 21st-century pal's obnoxious, anti-feminist declaration that he hopes to "score a dance with a real medieval chick." The book features no characters of color in either timeline, offering a default-white cast. Mancusi sets the stage for future adventures…in the past.
A wholesome, modern twist on the classic legend that could provide a gateway for newer readers and fun for the gaming set. (Fantasy. 8-13)Pub Date: Nov. 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-368-01084-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
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A solid series starter for tinkerers and adventurers alike.
Even robot cats have a mind of their own.
All 12-year-old Canadian Lacey Chu’s ever wanted was to become a companioneer like her idol, Monica Chan, co-founder of the largest tech firm in North America, Moncha Corp., and mastermind behind the baku. Bakus, “robotic pets with all the features of a smartphone,” revolutionized society and how people interact with technology. As a companioneer, Lacey could work on bakus: designing, innovating, and building. When she receives a grant rejection from Profectus Academy of Science and Technology, a school that guarantees employment at Moncha Corp., she’s devastated. A happenstance salvaging of a mangled cat baku might just change the game. Suddenly, Lacey’s got an in with Profectus and is one step closer to her dream. Jinx, however, is not quite like the other bakus—he’s a wild cat that does things without commands. Together with Jinx, Lacey will have to navigate competitive classmates and unsettling corporate secrets. McCulloch effectively strikes a balance between worldbuilding and action. High-stakes baku battles demonstrate the emotional bond between (robotic) pet and owner. Readers will also connect to the relationships the Asian girl forges with her diverse classmates, including a rivalry with Carter (a white boy who’s the son of Moncha’s other co-founder, Eric Smith), a burgeoning crush on student Tobias, who’s black, and evolving friendships new and old. While some mysteries are solved, a cliffhanger ending raises even more for the next installment.
A solid series starter for tinkerers and adventurers alike. (Science fiction. 8-13)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8374-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
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