A beautifully illustrated but unevenly paced science-fiction adventure centering on found family.
On a planet populated by machines, a battered robot helps two human sisters.
There are no humans on the planet Somewhere 513—not since the last colonists were kicked to the curb in the robot rebellion. But energetic 5-year-old Gnat and pragmatic 10-year-old Paige, the human children of Dandelion Brightside, the robots’ creator, secretly remained behind, hiding in their underground home, the Foxhole. The sisters, who have “brownish skin” and “reddish hair,” emerge in search of aid from the elusive K1-NG, the only robot who sided with humans during the war. They find him living on the Pile with other discarded “junk cases,” and call him Scrap. Although Scrap denies being the humans’ King of the Robots, he begrudgingly accompanies the girls. As the ragtag group evades discovery by robot society, Scrap forms a parental bond with his young companions. He must ultimately embrace his role as King of the Robots along with his responsibility to protect the girls. Despite a sluggish beginning, the story gains momentum as events progress, building to a gripping climax. Paige, Gnat, and Scrap are likeable protagonists with a charming family dynamic, although the uneven development of their relationship makes some of the heartfelt moments feel unearned. The worldbuilding is digestible yet still complex enough to be engaging. Trunfio’s grayscale illustrations, which are interspersed throughout, are wonderfully crafted and provide inspired visuals of the characters and their world.
A beautifully illustrated but unevenly paced science-fiction adventure centering on found family. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9798217141876
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
