by Pádraig Kenny ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2019
Young science-fiction aficionados will appreciate this story despite its malfunctions.
Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics get a middle-grade twist.
Christopher thinks he’s a 12-year-old boy. He lives with Absalom, an unlicensed engineer who uses his robot inventions to grift vulnerable people out of their money, and an endearing cast of other mechanical creations. When Christopher gets hit by a car selflessly trying to rescue one of his metallic friends, he accidentally discovers that he is also a robot—a highly illegal one, as he’s clearly “ensouled”—and is promptly whisked away by men purporting to be from the government agency overseeing such matters. Worried, Christopher’s friends, constructs and flesh, go on a quest to save him. They even enlist the help of the most renowned engineer in history, the man who created Christopher to fill a void in his own family. Points of view bounce around confusingly, with prose that feels in need of some tightening and oiling. In this post–World War I England, all the nonmetallic characters seem to be white given that even the flesh affixed to robots is described as a “white mixture” that develops “a fleshy pallor.” Hard-to-follow action sequences and pseudoscientific terminology blunt the emotional stakes, which are felt more in the side characters than the main quest.
Young science-fiction aficionados will appreciate this story despite its malfunctions. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-27755-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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by Max Brallier ; illustrated by Douglas Holgate ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 13, 2015
Classic action-packed, monster-fighting fun
Awards & Accolades
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New York Times Bestseller
It’s been 42 days since the Monster Apocalypse began, and 13-year-old Jack Sullivan, a self-proclaimed “zombie-fighting, monster-slaying tornado of cool” is on a quest to find and rescue his not-so-secret crush, June Del Toro, whether she needs it, wants it, or not.
Jack cobbles together an unlikely but endearing crew, including his scientist best friend, Quint Baker; Dirk Savage, Parker Middle School’s biggest bully; and a pet monster named Rover, to help him save the damsel in distress and complete the “ULTIMATE Feat of Apocalyptic Success.” Middle-grade readers, particularly boys, will find Jack’s pitch-perfect mix of humor, bravado, and self-professed geekiness impossible to resist. His sidekicks are equally entertaining, and it doesn’t hurt that there are also plenty of oozing, drooling, sharp-toothed monsters and zombies and a host of gizmos and gadgets to hook readers and keep them cheering with every turn of the page. Holgate’s illustrations play an integral role in the novel’s success. They not only bring Brallier’s characters to life, but also add depth and detail to the story, making plain just exactly how big Rover is and giving the lie to Jack’s “killer driving.” The marriage of text and illustration serves as a perfect example of what an illustrated novel can and should be.
Classic action-packed, monster-fighting fun (. (Graphic/horror hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-670-01661-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
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by Dav Pilkey & illustrated by Dav Pilkey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 28, 2012
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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