Closing the book, readers may wonder: Will these mice return, and can they really stop climate change? They will hope so.
In this charming sequel to Mousenet (2011), mice who use tiny Thumbtop computers need some rescuing by the very few humans who know that mice have evolved.
Everything’s going fine at Planet Mouse, the mostly mouse-staffed factory that manufactures Thumbtops in Cleveland. Thumbtops are critical for Operation Cool It, Mouse Nation’s plan to stop climate change. These mice have no special powers —only sophisticated brains and regular 21st-century technology (if very small)—so when they hear of a threat to (literally) exterminate Mouse Nation headquarters in Silicon Valley, 11-year-old Megan and her uncle Fred rush to California. Carefully protecting the secrecy of the intelligent mice, they drive an RV holding 2,243 mice up through Oregon, pursued by a mysterious truck. One not-too-bright mouse offers sensitive information to climate-change deniers in exchange for an Amazon gift certificate to buy a sparkly pink dress. The text chides her girlieness and fondness for “chick flicks”; action films, conversely, are lauded, and action-movie stars help save the day. Credulity strains sometimes—the Rocky Mountain valley that’s home to mercenary climate-change deniers is, coincidentally, right next to Megan’s mom’s summer job, and the ending is too neat—but Mouse Nation’s efficient, rational society, from Mouse Sign Language to legal proceedings, remains enchantingly believable.
Closing the book, readers may wonder: Will these mice return, and can they really stop climate change? They will hope so. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4231-7412-7
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
Fiercely feisty and unapologetically goofy.
Three young girls are tasked with saving their town from a vicious worm.
This romp from actor McKinnon introduces the three Porch girls: Gertrude, age 12 and three-quarters, Eugenia, age 12 and one-eighth, and Dee-Dee, age 11. Cared for by Aunt Desdemona and Uncle Ansel (along with their seven cousins, who are all named Lavinia), they’re forced to live in a ramshackle shed at the edge of the property. In a classic turn of events, the sisters are invited to a new school run by a certain Millicent Quibb. Under Quibb’s eccentric tutelage, the trio learn that the nefarious Krenetics Research Association, hoping to release their founder, Talon Sharktūth, from his vault, has bred a Kyrgalops, a vicious stone- and puppy-chomping worm, which may destroy their entire town. McKinnon’s middle-grade debut is grandiosely silly, reminiscent of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events in both its sesquipedalian language and tone and in relying heavily on its bespoke lexicon, verbal gymnastics, and cheeky footnotes to deliver jokes. Interspersed throughout are bits of visual interest—poems and songs, schematics, and bits of correspondence. Though the action rockets along at a Pixy Stix–fueled pace, many questions are left unanswered or unaddressed, making this series opener exposition heavy and a bit frustrating. Still, readers will ultimately be left hopeful that subsequent volumes will offer something meatier. The illustrations cue some diversity of skin tone among the characters.
Fiercely feisty and unapologetically goofy. (map, afterword, appendices) (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780316554732
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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
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