An imaginative, madcap escape.
Two seventh grade boys from Visalia, California, become overnight rock stars and tour the world.
Until now, longtime childhood pals Sean and Jason have led fairly average lives filled with football games and boring chores. One day, inspired by a decades-old video clip of classical pianist John Cage’s entirely silent composition, 4' 33", Jason suggests the duo launch their own rock band, Gormax—being silent would be helpful since they can’t actually play any instruments. Soon Metallic Z (Jason) and Half-Lo (Sean) are off, living an extended youthful daydream with minimal adult supervision or involvement. The 12-year-olds perform across Europe and even Japan, Tahiti, and Argentina. The agent calling all the professional shots for Gormax is Chase, a business-savvy sixth grader they’ve nicknamed “White Socks.” White Socks decides Gormax needs some help on tour. He adds eighth grader Samantha (“Skylark”) and a chatty, multilingual cockatiel named Zep to the band. The quartet’s fame skyrockets. Action and humor are packed into every page. The band’s zany adventures take them everywhere from a zoo (where the chimps are refusing to eat their bananas until they get to meet Gormax) to a hot-air balloon ride. The bandmates relish their newfound riches and work through creative differences, jealousy, and heartbreak. But when fame and fortune threaten to run out, the boys must fall back on their friendship to help figure out their future. Smith’s lively, entertaining illustrations complement the story, showcasing the racially diverse cast.
An imaginative, madcap escape. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9780063360877
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
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
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