A fast-paced and engaging introduction to SF and environmental activism.
A young activist is recruited to help save the world from the corporations that run her oppressive school in Klisanin’s middle-grade SF thriller.
Twelve-year-old Lexa Andromeda has been emotionally reeling and acting out since the sudden death of her dog, Zara. After her latest bout of mischief results in an accidental injury, her parents decide to send her to Thistleton Academy for Highly Creatives. Lexa is thrilled; throughout her life, she’s heard stories about Thistleton’s unconventional approach to education, which celebrates innovation and encourages autonomy. But when Lexa arrives, she discovers that Thistleton has had a dramatic transformation—what was once a bastion of creativity is now a stifling authoritarian institution funded and controlled by various corporations. Students are forbidden to go outside or have any contact with their families, and they’re under constant surveillance. Headstrong Lexa quickly stokes the ire of Executive Counseling Officer Mr. Yang and Executive Educational Officer Ms. Ballent when she refuses to kowtow to Thistleton’s new culture. To further complicate matters, a specter from the future—a virtual time-traveler named Norbu—appears with an important message: There’s going to be a mass extinction event caused by Thistleton and its partners…and he needs Lexa, a budding environmental activist, to help prevent it. With the world in peril, Lexa teams up with her friends Jack, Sage, and Will to save the planet. This action-packed book is an entertaining and engaging story about friendship, grief, and empowerment. The book has a dynamic, racially diverse cast of characters: Lexa and Jack (both 12 years old) are illustrated with light skin and dark hair, but are otherwise racially ambiguous; Will, Jack’s roommate, is Black; Sage is a white girl, Mr. Yang is Asian, and Ms. Ballent is white (Norbu’s race is up in the air, as he only appears as a blue hologram). Lexa’s fierce determination and indomitable spirit make her a compelling protagonist and narrator (“‘History is boring,’ I groan. ‘The future is what counts’”). Through her, middle-grade readers get a thought-provoking—and funny—introduction to issues such as the use and misuse of technology and the role of corporations in environmental crises.
A fast-paced and engaging introduction to SF and environmental activism.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781938447617
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Genius Cat Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 4, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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