Frustrating.
New guests bring new adventures.
In this second installment of the series, supernatural forces are still preventing siblings Willow and Ash McGinn and their parents from leaving the Exit 13 Motel. Despite their predicament, the mood lifts when a group of alien-loving convention-goers arrives. Soon the little inn is bustling, and Willow and Ash pitch in to help clerk Kristoff and handyman Mr. Do. Events take another turn when Kristoff goes missing, a creepy guest sends Willow on a harrowing chase, and Ash and the alien aficionados find themselves in an otherworldly forest. Preller’s latest has short chapters with brisk pacing; however, despite the narrative energy, more questions are raised than answered. The McGinns keep unearthing one new thing after another—possible monsters, a mysterious book, and more—but little is explained or resolved, making for an exasperating reading experience. Additionally, key worldbuilding points are stretched too thin to make sense, namely why some can come and go from the motel and others cannot. Black-and-white comic panels interspersed throughout begin to feel gimmicky, not adding depth to the shallow characterizations. The depiction of Mr. Do feels especially superficial and tokenizing; attempts to convey his Korean heritage are surface-level, and his clipped speech patterns—even in his internal monologues—seem othering. Willow and Ash are biracial; Kristoff is described as pale.
Frustrating. (Graphic hybrid. 7-12)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781338810455
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 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
Contagiously goofy and fun.
Area 51 gets its first new resident in 5 years—and a new mystery.
When her grandma moves into a kid-free retirement home, 12-year-old orphan Priya “Sky” Patel-Baum and Spike, her pet hedgehog, relocate to Area 51 to live with Sky’s eccentric Uncle Anish. At 51, humans and Break Throughs (government-speak for aliens) live together off-grid in harmony. Unfortunately, several Zdstrammars (one of many Break Through species) mysteriously disappear, disrupting the base’s harmony and contributing to feelings of suspicion. Despite being deputy head of the Federal Bureau of Alien Investigations, Uncle Anish becomes a prime suspect. Can Sky and Elvis, her alien classmate, prove Uncle Anish’s innocence and find the missing Zdstrammars before it’s too late? YA author Buxbaum’s middle-grade debut is a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidu’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose. The cast of Break Through species—like Audiotooters, Galzorian, and Sanitizoria—have hilariously creative on-the-nose names with illustrations to match. Sky is coded biracial, with a White dad and Indian mom. Aliens appear in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors; Elvis shape-shifts but looks like a brown-skinned boy to Sky. Though the main mystery is neatly wrapped up, the cliffhanger ending promises more laughs.
Contagiously goofy and fun. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-42946-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
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