SPOTLIGHT on FUTURELAND by H.D. Hunter a New Afrofuturist Middle Grade Series (Book 3 publishing 11/19/24)

I wish I could read all the books, but occasionally a new series slips by.  Therefore, rather than reviewing the book, I decided to instead highlight the entire series.  Put a spotlight on a book whose covers immediately captured my attention.  Doesn't the premise just grab at you?    If you've already read this series, please feel free to share your thoughts in a comment.  I'd also like to send a big thank you to Banholzer PR for bringing this promising, exciting series to my attention. 

                         About the Series:

Futureland (Book 1):  Battle for the Park  
When an extraordinary flying theme park arrives above Atlanta, one boy must stop a sinister force from stealing the park's tech and taking over the world..

Welcome to the most spectacular theme park in the world.

Everyone wants a ticket to Futureland, where you can literally live out your wildest dreams. Want to step inside your favorite video game? Go pro in a sports arena? Perform at a real live concert? Grab your ticket and come right in.

Yet with all its attractions, Futureland has always just been home to Cam Walker, the son of the park's famous creators. And when Futureland arrives at its latest stop, Atlanta, Cam is thrilled for what promises to be the biggest opening ever. . .

But things aren't quite right with the Atlanta opening. Park attractions are glitching. Kids go missing. And when his parents are blamed, Cam must find the missing kids and whoever's trying to take down his family . . . before it's too late.

Futureland (Book 2):  The Nightmare Hour

The theme park of your dreams is back in this action-packed sequel as Cam Walker and his friends take on creepy carnivals, insidious tech, and a nightmarish new enemy to save the world. An electrifying illustrated series for fans of Miles Morales. 

The most spectacular theme park in the world is headed to the Big Apple. 
After Atlanta, Cam Walker and his family are ready to turn over a new leaf with Futureland. This is where dreams literally come true, and the Walkers are going to show the people of New York City that their park is back and better than ever.

But trouble isn’t done with the Walkers yet. Glitches keep happening with the park attractions. There's a creepy carnival in town that gives Cam goosebumps. Plus, he just can’t shake the feeling that his family is being watched. And it may be his imagination, but are the people around him acting . . . stranger than usual?

Can Cam get to the bottom of what’s going on before Futureland becomes a playground of terrors?

                    And the final book in the series is....

Futureland (Book 3):  The Architect Games by H.D. Hunter, illustrated by Khadijah Khatib
Publisher:  Random House Books for Young Readers  
Format:  Hardcover
Number of pages:  336 pages
Publishing:  November 19th, 2024

Find It: Penguin Random House , Goodreads, Amazon

Mazes and mind games await in this epic third book
about the theme park of your dreams, where Cam Walker goes head-to-head with the villains who have been after Futureland from the start. An electrifying illustrated series for fans of Miles Morales."Hold on tight, Futureland will be the ride of your life . . . and maybe the last!" —Kwame Mbalia, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Team Futureland. Their archenemies. A showdown in spectacularly futuristic Egypt.After Futureland emerges from back-to-back scandals, Cam Walker and his family are ready to confront the people who keep targeting their flying park. A group called the Architects has been after them since Futureland made its Atlanta stop, and the Walkers have had enough.

To settle things, the Architects propose the very first Architect Games, where the Walkers and the Architects will battle in a series of challenges. If the Walkers win, then the Architects will leave them alone once and for all. But if Cam and his family lose, they will lose everything—including Futureland and its prized tech.  The Architects can't be trusted, but Cam doesn't have a choice. If he can lead his team to victory, his family and friends will be free. Otherwise, there's no telling what the Architects will do once they get their hands on Futureland. . . .

                                  About the Author

Hugh “H.D.” Hunter is a storyteller, teaching artist, and community organizer from Atlanta. He’s also the winner of several indie book awards for multicultural fiction. Hugh is committed to stories about Black kids and their many expansive worlds. He loves vegan snacks, basketball, and stories that make you cry—but make you smile afterward. Check out Hugh’s work at thesoutherndistrict.com and follow him at @hd_tsd.

From Wonderland with Love by Jeffrey Westhoff

From Wonderland with Love by Jeffrey Westhoff

Publisher:  Ringtale Publishing
Format:  E-ARC
Number of pages:   261 pages
Publishing:   November 5th, 2024
Source:  Edelweiss+

Opening Line: "Alice sat alone beneath a tree on the bank and, with considerable envy, watched the people rowing past her on the river."

It has been five years since Alice's last adventures in Wonderland and Looking Glass Land, and she has yet to dream up a new adventure to share with her sister.  Suddenly she receives an official visit from the White Rabbit.  The Queen and King of Hearts have demanded her immediate presence in Wonderland for a special mission.  They want Alice to retrieve the T.A.R.T.S (Totally Automatic Random Targeting System) that was stolen by the Knave of Hearts before he can put his sinister plans to instill chaos into motion.  Alice is tasked with infiltrating Looking Glass Land, as the Queen and King of Hearts spy to track the Knave of Hearts, locate the device and return them all to Wonderland.  

As a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland I try to read any new books that come along centered in the same world.  It's always a treat to revisit the characters and see how the author will put a new spin on the classic stories.  From Wonderland with Love continues where Lewis Carroll left off in his previous books, but Alice is now older and much wiser.  Each character from Rabbit to the Cheshire Cat and the Caterpillar had the same personality as you would find in the classic story and it was especially fun reading Alice's interactions with Humpty Dumpty, who has been put in charge of C.H.E.S.S (the Consummate Headquarters for Espionage, Spying and Such).  Yep, the acronyms abound.

I really appreciated Westhoff's take on the story, particularly envisioning Alice as a spy.  Such fun.  Learning about the various gadgets she used on her mission, such as the bag of holding, informant's brooch, and the mirror portals that enabled her to travel between Wonderland and Looking Glass Land.  The narrative had thrilling moments, like when Alice was aboard a train, and it was very entertaining.   I found myself quickly flipping pages.  Overall, the story was well written, had similar vibes to the classic and has me eagerly awaiting the sequel, Tinker, Tailor, Hatter, Spy!  


 I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE   

The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln , and illustrations by Claire Powell

The Swifts:  A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln, illustrations by Claire Powell
Publisher:  Dutton Books
Format:  Hardcover
Number of pages:   338 pages
Published:   August 20th, 2024
Source:  Purchased

Opening Line: "In Morbidity Swift's Definitive Ranking of Painful Deaths, drowning is quite far down on the list, sitting squarely in the merrily unpleasant tier."

Shenanigan Swift has resumed her quest for Grand-Uncle Vile's long-lost treasure by scouring the lake.  Meanwhile, Felicity is in Paris and Phenomena is engrossed in a secret project.  Suddenly, news arrives that Felicity has been invited to stay with the Martinet's (the French branch of the Swift family tree) at their hotel, prompting Aunt Schadenfreude to exclaim that "she's all but dead!" You see the Martinets and Swifts have been engaged in a heated war for over a century, disputing which of their families came first.  Concerned for Felicity's safety, Shenanigan, Phenomena and Uncle Maelstrom head off to France and while there become entangled in a mystery involving a series of elaborate art museum heists.  Could this be the infamous Ouvolpo, the world's most famous art thief?

A Gallery of Rogues was one of my most anticipated sequels for this year.  I so adored the first book for its use of language, wordplay and dictionaries and I loved that the second book continued with this theme.  This time examining the roots of French, English and Spanish words and how there are links between some words in other languages.  How words in one language influence the words of another culture and often get adopted into that language (like how chauffer, and deja vu have become common place in the English language).   And how French words like "Pharmacie" and "Framboise" are spelled similarly in English and Spanish.  I've always been a fan of languages and words, and Gallery of Rogues is filled with such wonderful words, like "Haughty" and "Ostentatious" that make ya feel all decadent reading them aloud.  Just absolutely love it!  

The art heist investigation was entertaining, reminiscent of the movie Ocean Eleven, and I enjoyed the addition of all of Swifts French cousins.  There's the chaos of navigating a luxury hotel in disrepair, compounded by the confusion over the room numbering, which adds some intrigue.   If you've read the first book, the sequel will resonate with you even more.  I really recommend it to readers who delight in mysteries, or clever wordplay and languages.  I know I am eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series. 

 I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE   

Take It From the Top by Claire Swinarski

 Take It From the Top by Claire Swinarski
Publisher:  Quill Tree Books/Harper Collins
Format:  E-ARC
Number of pages:   256 pages
Publishing:   November 19th, 2024
Source:  SparkPoint Studio via Netgalley 

Opening Lines: "When I was five years old, I got lost in the historic Leighton Theater."

This will be Eowyn and Jules sixth summer at Lamplighter Lake Summer Camp for the Arts.  Eowyn can't wait to reach her cabin, reunite with Jules, and dive into eight weeks of musical theater, dance, vocal training and acting.  Escaping the shadow of her older brother, an accomplished Broadway actor and singer, will also be a welcome change.  At camp, the busyness helps to ease the pain of her mother's death, yet Eowyn finds herself grappling with an unexpected performance anxiety. Receiving only a spotty few texts from Jules since last summer has not made the situation any easier.  But when the two girls get to camp, their reunion is awkward and feels off.  Why is Jules being super friendly with everyone else, and standoffish with her?  She will barely even look at Eowyn and she can't figure out why.    

Take It From the Top spans across six summers at camp, told through flashbacks from present day— their sixth year— to previous summers spent together.  At one time the girls shared a really strong bond, they even dreamed of performing Wicked on Broadway together one day.  The flashbacks reveal how their friendship evolved and how the current rift developed between them.  How Jules' experiences during the times between camp were very different than Eowyn's.  Jules family is struggling financially and getting the money for camp has been a huge strain.

Meanwhile Eowyn comes from a place of privilege, her dad is a doctor, her brother is a famous actor, and she's able to take private lessons.  What is missed in this equation is that both girls think that the others life is so much better than their own.  Eowyn is envious of Jules' extended family, how her parents are always present at her shows.  Just once she would like her dad to make an effort to come.  She feels quite alone and misses her mom.

Jules is upset because she was told by one of the instructors that she'll have to work twice as hard as Eowyn to prove herself because things will just be handed to Eowyn.  She resents having to work so hard to find ways around her family's money problems to get her headshots, to have proper name brand clothing and to improve her singing without lessons.  I felt like Eowyn seemed to be trying harder to reach out to Jules and make amends.  It was difficult because she's also slightly clueless to her privilege which is worsened when she lets the source of Jules' scholarship slip.   

The story made for a really good summertime read; it had the whole summer camp vibe going for it, minus all the pranks that are usually associated with being at camp.    It's perfect for fans of the theater, musicals or acting with lots of references to Wicked.  Which is especially timely given that the movie will be coming out soon.  

There are demanding teachers and kids doing something that they feel passionate about.  I think kids will relate to the feeling of wanting to be successful, receive praise and recognition.  Both Eowyn and Jules were searching for a moment in the limelight and a chance for that opening role.  While also balancing their hurt feelings and trying to not let it overwhelm all their senses.  Their friendship was complex and yes messy but eventually they learned how to let go of the hurt and began to see the good moments that they previously shared.  Overall, a really fun story with lots of theater kid appeal.       

** A huge thank you to SparkPoint Studio for the E- ARC in exchange for an honest review**  

 I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE