In a story that young X-Files fans will snap up, and which in its basic premise follows that of the movie, The Flight of the Navigator, Joey suddenly disappears from a lakeside camp and reappears just as mysteriously two years later, to find himself with a baby sister, a younger brother who’s bigger than he is, and friends who have moved on in their lives. Joey has only vague memories of a great spiral of light, a shadowy presence, and a sound like wind chimes, all of which he keeps to himself, not wanting to be thought crazy. Joey’s efforts to recreate a normal life go awry when, first, his version of events gets out, and second, an insistent voice in his head begins urging him to return to the lake. Although the plot is disjointed and contrivance- driven, Joey’s feeling of dislocation, and the discomfort others feel in his presence, is credibly presented, and the climactic scene, in which the alien appears to convey Joey back to the time and place from which he vanished, features the requisite glaring lights, odd gravitational effects, and weird atmosphere. Butts (Cheshire Moon, 1996) doesn’t try too hard to answer questions or maintain her story’s internal logic, but it’s rare to find stories for young people about closer encounters that aren’t played for laughs. (Fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: April 30, 1998
ISBN: 1-886910-27-8
Page Count: 160
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
Solomon (Solly for short) has lots of problems: a mean stepmother, two inconsiderate and lazy stepbrothers, an absent father, and an unresolved longing for mothering. Sound familiar? He also has a fairy godmother, but not the usual sort with wishes and wings and a wand. Freeble is a six-foot-tall talking lizard who conquers the highest levels of computer games and teaches Solly to transform himself into a lizard, too. Singer has created a fantastic, funny, but believable world in which intelligent alligators from planet Reptilia transform themselves into human shape when they perform on earth in the Circus Lunicus. Singer’s poetic talents are apparent in her language play with the talking lizard, who has an unusual but perfectly understandable manner of speaking. She skillfully weaves all the elements of the Cinderella mythic structure into her tale, along with the concept of a mother from another species who must return to her own kind. The story is told in short sentences and brief chapters with the appeal of a three-ring circus: laughter, suspense, and a little danger to keep the crowd wanting more. Solly wisely solves his own problems in his own way, finding hidden strengths within himself and help from unexpected sources, just like Cinderella. Luminous and humorous. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8050-6268-8
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2000
What price global warming? In Sedgwick’s near-future debut, only a few high spots, with small groups of ragged, desperate inhabitants, remain above the waves that cover what used to be England. From one such island, and with no map or supplies, young Zoe sets out in a small boat to find the parents from whom she was separated in the last, panicky evacuation. Though captured for a time by a sullen band of young people sheltering in a vast, ruined cathedral and presided over by a ruthless teenaged dictator, Zoe makes her escape into a wild storm, and catches up with her parents at last. Despite the happy ending, and late, feeble attempts at gallows humor, the author has crafted a dreary tale. He’s incorporated elements from Lord of the Flies, references to William Blake à la David Almond’s Skellig (1999), which are too oblique to have any real meaning for most young readers, and a vast, gloomy setting that never takes on a strong enough presence to add atmosphere, much less any sort of metaphorical resonance. Fans of the post-holocaust sci-fi of John Christopher may be drawn to this, but it is too plodding to hold them for long. (Fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-385-32801-X
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000
IN THE NEWS
© 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.
