A profoundly relevant dystopian tale powered by one resourceful girl and a robot worth rooting for.
Twelve-year-old Zuzu Santos does not like robots.
Zuzu and her friends, who call themselves the Valleycats, have been taking care of themselves for years. They live in dusty Barren, Texas, in bare-bones trailers at a campground they’ve dubbed the Bright Valley, where water is tightly rationed by the Lockwood Corporation. Across the shelterbelt lies Bountiful, a wealthy township with actual trees and plenty of water. When Zuzu’s father is laid off, his severance comes in the form of an old Lockwood guardian robot without a working charger. Zuzu knows that automatons are always listening, and this particular one (a Secure Network Android Processor, Snap for short) is programmed to look after her. But after her crafty friend Elias illegally reprograms him, Snap changes. Everyone knows robots can’t lie, so why does Snap tell a small fib to protect the Valleycats? As Snap proves himself to be more than a machine, Zuzu grows attached. But with his battery slowly draining, she is afraid her time with Snap is running out. Filipino American Zuzu emerges as a richly drawn protagonist amid the racially diverse Valleycats. Set in a convincing near-future shaped by climate change, two-time Newbery Medalist Kelly’s latest feels both urgent and deeply humane, pairing survival and grit with achingly moving moments of tenderness. Final art not seen.
A profoundly relevant dystopian tale powered by one resourceful girl and a robot worth rooting for. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9780063485952
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
PERSPECTIVES
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
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic.
A loyal black kitten’s boy is under supernatural attack.
Eleven-month-old Nimbus loves Fletcher, the boy who nursed her back to health following life-threatening injuries. When Fletcher becomes curious about a strange jar and opens it, releasing a terrible goblin, loyal Nim protects Fletcher, taking heavy damage in the process. But Fletcher’s aunt, who’s caring for him over spring break, believes Nim attacked Fletcher and dumps her far from home. Rhett, a stylish rat with star quality, befriends injured Nim and leads her to a witch’s house. While the witch cares for Nim, the witch’s cats (maternal Fern, bookish Rochester, standoffish Bianca, and openly hostile Abraxas) teach Nim important cat skills. She also discovers she has a supernatural ability: In destroying one eye of the nightmare demon in the fight to protect Fletcher, Nim gained its “dream sight.” But she also learns it might come back for Fletcher, who no longer has Nim to protect him, posing a time-sensitive, high-stakes threat. Even though the witch’s home is nice and magic itself seems to be telling her to stay put, Nim wants to find a way back to Fletcher. As a hero, Nimbus is as gritty and determined as she is adorable. Tear-jerker moments explore pet abandonment—readers may want their own pets on hand to hug—all the way through the magical, action-packed finale. Fletcher and the witch read white.
A deeply imaginative journey that puts the “cat” in cathartic. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780062680372
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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