An ambitious adventure buried beneath too many timelines and supernatural detours.
Hockwater’s supernatural middle-grade adventure novel explores myths, history, and time travel.
Twelve-year-old Carter Knox has a very different life compared to other kids in Buffalo, New York: He and his father practically live at the history museum where his father works, and Carter has the ability to see ghosts, or what he calls “echoes,” tied to the museum’s artifacts. Among the figures Carter encounters are President Grover Cleveland and his wife, alongside the more recent addition of adventurer Percy Fawcett. Soon after the arrival of Fawcett’s journal, the ankh that Carter wears around his neck begins to glow and transports him to the realm of Osiris, who reveals that the journal is connected to the lost Scrivener, a powerful object capable of rewriting the Book of Life and altering the myths and legends that have shaped human history. Years earlier, Carter’s archaeologist mother disappeared while searching for the Scrivener in Egypt, and Carter now believes he may be able to use its power to bring her back. With the help of his friends Lincoln and Charlotte, Carter learns about the lost city of Atlantis, Mesoamerican myths, the Trail of Tears, and even the assassination of President McKinley while trying to hold true to the belief that “everyone’s story deserves to be told.” Hockwater’s core conceit—that rewriting myths, legends, and history will lead to dire consequences—is a clever setup for a middle-grade novel; the idea of a contemporary 12-year-old bantering with dead presidents, explorers, and gods feels ripe for a smart supernatural adventure. However, the author’s maximalist approach overwhelms the reader instead of providing a fun ride. The narrative jumps so rapidly between different continents, myths, historical figures, godlike powers, ghosts, and time-travel tropes that it will give readers of any age whiplash, and the numerous MacGuffins, secret cities, and enemies become difficult to follow. In the deluge of plot and mythology, Hockwater loses sight of his own strongest idea: Our most primordial and simplest tales often have the most lasting effect.
An ambitious adventure buried beneath too many timelines and supernatural detours.Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9798999085177
Page Count: 241
Publisher: NFB Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic.
A loyal black kitten’s boy is under supernatural attack.
Eleven-month-old Nimbus loves Fletcher, the boy who nursed her back to health following life-threatening injuries. When Fletcher becomes curious about a strange jar and opens it, releasing a terrible goblin, loyal Nim protects Fletcher, taking heavy damage in the process. But Fletcher’s aunt, who’s caring for him over spring break, believes Nim attacked Fletcher and dumps her far from home. Rhett, a stylish rat with star quality, befriends injured Nim and leads her to a witch’s house. While the witch cares for Nim, the witch’s cats (maternal Fern, bookish Rochester, standoffish Bianca, and openly hostile Abraxas) teach Nim important cat skills. She also discovers she has a supernatural ability: In destroying one eye of the nightmare demon in the fight to protect Fletcher, Nim gained its “dream sight.” But she also learns it might come back for Fletcher, who no longer has Nim to protect him, posing a time-sensitive, high-stakes threat. Even though the witch’s home is nice and magic itself seems to be telling her to stay put, Nim wants to find a way back to Fletcher. As a hero, Nimbus is as gritty and determined as she is adorable. Tear-jerker moments explore pet abandonment—readers may want their own pets on hand to hug—all the way through the magical, action-packed finale. Fletcher and the witch read white.
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780062680372
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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