Calling this book “average” would give it too much credit.
A paradigmatically average middle school student discovers a portal through the multiverse and confronts variations of himself from alternate Earths.
Meade Macon, an unaccomplished white boy, pretty much stinks at everything except origami. He dreads the impending Student Showcase, which will highlight all his failures. When Meade receives a series of mysterious origami invitations, he finds himself attending Me Con, an event hosted by and for the versions of himself from 99 different dimensions. At Me Con, every Meade receives a nickname based on an identifying characteristic; protagonist Meade is labeled “Average Me.” One of the first other selves the protagonist meets, Motor Me, is fat and uses a mobility cart. Motor Me is quick to give up and treated like a joke by other characters. His use of a mobility aid is depicted as an indulgent, bad habit. Other Meades get their personalities from extremes (Sensitive Me, Meticulous Me) and cultural appropriation (Kabuki Theater Me). Resist Me is an angry, opinionated transgender girl from a world that hates her, and Monk Me spouts platitudes about peace. The cast is overwhelmingly white, a context that makes Resist’s assertion that Me Con should solve problems like “racism and discrimination” feel hollow. Use of the modern-day dog whistle “Don’t Tread on Me” as a chapter title adds a further sour taste. Overall, the narrative requires a heaping dose of suspended disbelief, but it feels like a minor flaw to swallow compared to the other elements of the story.
Calling this book “average” would give it too much credit. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9575-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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