Authentic gamer action meets classic sci-fi themes and leaves room for sequels.
Twelve-year-old gamers at an elite tournament uncover secrets.
In the not-so-distant future, the digital world’s just as real as the physical one thanks to virtual-reality technology. Rogan, an egotistical-yet-talented “Laser Viper” player, spends more time alone in his virtual apartment (where he’s facing eviction for failing to pay rent) than with his parents, who are wrapped up in their own digital lives. When the creator of “Laser Viper” invites him and four other players to a contest to become the “Laser Viper” Grand Champion, he leaves Seattle for the Atomic Frontiers headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he and the other players are sequestered. Joining him are his chief gaming rival, Shaylyn; brusque bully Beckett; brilliant Jacqueline; and team-player Takashi. The advanced version of the game is more real than ever—but when certain things don’t add up, the players find themselves in danger from an unexpected source. Aside from brown-skinned Jacqueline and implied-Japanese Takashi, the only other main character explicitly of color is Xavier (called X), a brown-skinned, “tough-looking” Atomic Frontiers employee; Rogan, Shaylyn, and Beckett are default white. (Many principal characters are neurodiverse, but their conditions are controlled by the neuroports that also facilitate their play.) During the intricate gaming missions, the perspective hops among the characters (each playing a different class, “Team Fortress”–style), so readers don’t miss anything, from the three elimination rounds to the championship, in this fast-paced narrative tailor-made for gamers.
Authentic gamer action meets classic sci-fi themes and leaves room for sequels. (Science fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-04529-1
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
A snappy mystery that’s full of heart.
A group of bright friends tackles the puzzle of their lives.
Elmwood, New Hampshire, 11-year-old Gina Sparks is small in stature but big on reporting ongoing dramas for the local newspaper with support from her journalist mom. When an unbelievable scoop comes her way, Gina must rely on her tightknit crew of sixth grade best friends whose initials happen to spell GEEK, a label they choose to proudly reclaim. She and science-minded prankster Elena Hernández, theater kid Edgar Feingarten, and driven math genius Kevin Robinson decide to get to the bottom of things when they learn that the Van Houten Toy & Game Company heir made elaborate plans to leave everything to the town of Elmwood before her death—but only if a member of the community could solve an intricate multistep puzzle. Gina hopes that deciphering the clues and finding the missing fortune will be just the thing to revitalize the down-on-its-luck town and bring the Elmwood Tribune back into the black, saving her mom’s job and Gina’s passion project. The GEEKs work together, using their individual talents and deductive reasoning skills to unravel the mystery. Infused with media literacy pointers, such as the difference between fact and opinion and reminders to avoid bias when reporting, the story encourages readers to think critically. Gina and Edgar read as White; Elena is cued as Latinx, and Kevin is implied Black.
A snappy mystery that’s full of heart. (Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-37793-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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