A thrilling adventure tale grounded in relationships.
In this second series entry, a fungus is slowly killing the tree that keeps Neverland alive.
Bee, the Black girl who’s Neverland’s new Pan, knows of an ancient text that could tell them how to stop the rot, but these “books of knowledge held in the roots of the tree” were “written by a people long gone” from the island, and only the archivist can read the text. The archivist, Wendy Darling, is now an adult—a buxom, light-skinned woman with a shock of white hair. Normally, her age would prevent her from visiting Neverland, but the blight is weakening the walls. Bee uses her super suit’s hive mind powers to share Wendy’s ability to read the mysterious script of the “missing race” with others. They discover that these long-ago inhabitants left, heading into the Foreverlands with plans to create a new Neverland. Bee, Wendy, and some of the gang head out on the quest; Captain Hook lets them borrow the Jolly Roger, and he and Paco stay back to look after Neverland. The story, which incorporates themes of mental health, forgiveness, and community, strikes a strong balance between humor, action, and self-reflection. Eye-catching illustrations and varied panel layouts keep readers engaged. The use of bright colors for action sequences and warm sepia-toned spreads to denote chapter divisions provides effective visual breaks. The cast is diverse in skin tone and body type.
A thrilling adventure tale grounded in relationships. (character sketches) (Graphic fantasy. 12-15)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
ISBN: 9780593351796
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
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