Part cautionary tale, part folktale, this is a leisurely, imaginative read.
Eleven-year-old Sorrel unlocks the power of magical seeds to transform her life and the entire town with it.
When Sorrel unearths a packet of Surprising Seeds from under a concrete slab in her patio, she sets off on a mission to plant and nurture them. After they fail to come to life in dirt, she is compelled by an outside force to grow them right on her own head and that of best friend Neena. Grow they do—into a mop of flowers and vegetables—and it doesn’t stop there. Sorrel learns about the history and enchanted magic of Agatha Strangeways and the lush fields and wildflowers she tended that once ruled their now concrete-laden English town of Little Sterilis. The book is told in the first person from Sorrel’s perspective with small cautionary passages directed to readers. Until Agatha’s history comes to light, the story moves slowly, but after that point the pace picks up. Skinner’s tale is imaginative and vibrant even if some of the characters fall flat; Sorrel may be the least interesting person in the story, outshone by outspoken, science-minded Neena and fascinating Strangeways. The book’s lessons sometimes lack subtlety, but the metaphor of paving paradise rings necessarily loud and true. All characters are presumed White, save British Indian Neena and her family.
Part cautionary tale, part folktale, this is a leisurely, imaginative read. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-00-839849-1
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harper360
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2021
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
BOOK REVIEW
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short.
In the dystopian, totalitarian world of 2099, 14-year-old Tessa and her family are desperate to solve the mystery of her twin brother Theo’s disappearance.
Tessa is growing up in a time when playgrounds are historical relics, surveillance cameras are everywhere, music is outlawed, and owning books is illegal. Under the absolute rule of Zokiris, the decadeslong leader of her territory, people are heavily controlled. When Theo vanishes under mysterious circumstances and his name is erased from the Territory Statistics list, Tessa’s 135-year-old neighbor, Miriam, gives the family contraband books that become central to figuring out Theo’s whereabouts. Most books have long since been seized and stored away in Building 903; Tessa is intrigued by their presence in her home, while her mother is terrified. Lowry, the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Giver (1993), shines in her creation of uncomfortably believable dystopian societies. Tessa’s painfully limited world is fully imagined, with its own history, laws, and norms. Her relationship with her brother reads as realistic and tender and is crucial to the mystery. Miriam is the most strongly developed character: wise and independent, unafraid and hopeful. While the climb to the book’s climax is captivating, the hurried resolution is disappointing. The powerful messaging around the importance of literature and imagination certainly resonates, however. The main characters present white.
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short. (Dystopian. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780063515109
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
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