A science-fiction adventure with heart.
In a world where aliens fall to Earth, a girl shoulders adult responsibilities to care for them.
Ever since her mom died and her dad left, 13-year-old Ava Ardent has cared for the 32 Extraterrestrial Living Beings in the Alien Zoo. But life gets even harder when Ava’s uncle Pete, an Iraq War veteran, hires 14-year-old Harley as an intern just as a hurricane is barreling toward Maine. Most of the ELBs get loose during the storm, and Uncle Pete goes off with the police, leaving Ava and Harley to care for the one remaining ELB and chase one that escaped into the woods. In this high-stress, high-stakes situation, Ava and Harley bond, sharing their histories and becoming each other’s first real friend, but when they make a startling discovery that flips Ava’s world upside down, she pushes Harley away in order to keep him safe. Through people’s reactions to the escaped aliens, van Leer explores deeply relevant themes; as Ava says, “When humans feel threatened, they will always choose themselves.” Ava’s devotion to the ELBs is wholly believable, and her competence is admirable. The supporting cast includes compelling characters whose backstories inform their actions. The ELBs are uniquely imagined, though their origins remain mysterious. A climactic rescue scene requires some suspension of disbelief, but the ending is satisfying, leaving enough open threads for the series to continue and hinting at a possible romance between Ava and Harley, who are cued white.
A science-fiction adventure with heart. (Science fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781645952930
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Pixel+Ink
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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