“Story is the important thing” in this consistently imaginative, intense, thoughtful, and satisfying finale.
Alistair Cleary confronts the reality of his return home to Thessaly, New York, from the parallel world, Aquavania, and its impact on his family in this concluding volume of the Riverman Trilogy, narrated by his sister.
Continuing Alistair’s story from her own perspective, 14-year-old Kerrigan admits her brother seems like “someone from outer space” since the disappearance of his friends Fiona and Charlie and the shooting of Charlie’s brother, Kyle. Alistair’s silence worries his parents, and police suspect he’s involved in Kyle’s shooting. In response, Kerrigan begins her diary as a “place to confess…to tell stories.” While Alistair’s parents try to address his changed behavior, he gradually tells Kerrigan about Aquavania and how he’s working to release the souls of children like Fiona and Charlie who are trapped there. Fearing he’s delusional, Kerrigan starts believing in Alistair when her own stories “coincidentally” overlap with his. Alternating between the fantastical stories she’s writing and her factual chronicle of daily events, Kerrigan’s pithy, insightful, irreverent, and vulnerable diary spans the gap between Aquavania and Thessaly and between fantasy and reality, opening readers to the “different way of thinking” Kerrigan and Alistair share.
“Story is the important thing” in this consistently imaginative, intense, thoughtful, and satisfying finale. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: March 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-36313-0
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious.
If you made a recording to be heard by the aliens who found the iPod, what would you record?
For 11-year-old Alex Petroski, it's easy. He records everything. He records the story of how he travels to New Mexico to a rocket festival with his dog, Carl Sagan, and his rocket. He records finding out that a man with the same name and birthday as his dead father has an address in Las Vegas. He records eating at Johnny Rockets for the first time with his new friends, who are giving him a ride to find his dead father (who might not be dead!), and losing Carl Sagan in the wilds of Las Vegas, and discovering he has a half sister. He even records his own awful accident. Cheng delivers a sweet, soulful debut novel with a brilliant, refreshing structure. His characters manage to come alive through the “transcript” of Alex’s iPod recording, an odd medium that sounds like it would be confusing but really works. Taking inspiration from the Voyager Golden Record released to space in 1977, Alex, who explains he has “light brown skin,” records all the important moments of a journey that takes him from a family of two to a family of plenty.
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-18637-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Guaranteed to enchant, enthrall, and enmagick.
An elderly witch, a magical girl, a brave carpenter, a wise monster, a tiny dragon, paper birds, and a madwoman converge to thwart a magician who feeds on sorrow.
Every year Elders of the Protectorate leave a baby in the forest, warning everyone an evil Witch demands this sacrifice. In reality, every year, a kind witch named Xan rescues the babies and find families for them. One year Xan saves a baby girl with a crescent birthmark who accidentally feeds on moonlight and becomes “enmagicked.” Magic babies can be tricky, so Xan adopts little Luna herself and lovingly raises her, with help from an ancient swamp monster and a chatty, wee dragon. Luna’s magical powers emerge as her 13th birthday approaches. Meanwhile, Luna’s deranged real mother enters the forest to find her daughter. Simultaneously, a young carpenter from the Protectorate enters the forest to kill the Witch and end the sacrifices. Xan also enters the forest to rescue the next sacrificed child, and Luna, the monster, and the dragon enter the forest to protect Xan. In the dramatic denouement, a volcano erupts, the real villain attempts to destroy all, and love prevails. Replete with traditional motifs, this nontraditional fairy tale boasts sinister and endearing characters, magical elements, strong storytelling, and unleashed forces. Luna has black eyes, curly, black hair, and “amber” skin.
Guaranteed to enchant, enthrall, and enmagick. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-61620-567-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Algonquin
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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