The Underfoot, Volume 1

June 1, 2019

Gr 4-8-In this suspenseful, postapocalyptic tale, humans (Giants-That-Were) have long since vanished. Thanks to scientific experimentation, the remaining creatures are self-aware. The hamsters have become survivalists and mercenaries working for other animals while defending themselves from equally intelligent predators. Their mission is to destroy a beaver dam before the homes of their allies, the badgers, are flooded and destroyed. The world-building in this book is exceptional. Every page brims with subtle verbal and background clues for readers to carefully assemble into a fascinating backstory. The characters are expressive, and many different breeds of hamsters are drawn in loving detail. These rough, tough, but very cute hamsters exude camaraderie and determination, and speech bubbles are placed with great care for maximum impact. Abrupt, vivid color changes highlight dramatic moments, and the heightened tension and action move the narrative along, sometimes at breakneck speed. VERDICT Fans of dystopian tales and animal adventure stories will adore this first in a trilogy, and the cliff-hanger ending will have them demanding the next installment.-Kelley Gile, Cheshire Public Library, CT

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 10, 2019
Someone has erected a dam, and the Hamster Aquatic Mercenaries have been called upon to destroy it. Without their recently lost trapsmith, though, breaking up the dam will prove near impossible. Still, they draft a few younger hamsters who may not be entirely ready to make their way into enemy territory. There, they will confront reptiles, birds, and sentient animals who have uncertain motives. Fisher (the Great Divide books) and entertainment journalist Whitten, making her debut, introduce readers to a fascinating world that blends elements of GI Joe stories with Brian Jacques’s Redwall books. In between chapters, written artifacts offer a glimpse of a previous time, when humans created sentient animals in labs before freeing and abandoning them. Artist Nguyen excels at depicting realistic, emotive talking animals, and she manages shadowing and foreground well, spotlighting the earthy-toned hamsters. Though the premise of the story is basic (destroy a dam), the complicated threads and well-developed, quirky characters create a compelling adventure that readers will want to explore in future series installments. Ages 13–16.