Afar

May 1, 2017
When Boetema sleeps, she finds herself in the bodies of strange alien creatures, but she isn’t merely dreaming, and she doesn’t know how to make sense of what’s happening. Her life is already more difficult than she would like: her parents are moving the family to a new home in Yopan, a city of luxury and goods, and her brother, Inotu, has a habit of getting into trouble. Comics artist turned writer del Duca explores a post-industrialized desert landscape that mixes technology, mythology, and supernatural powers, a fascinating blend of influences made all the more vivid through Seaton’s depictions of the intermeshing of past and future. With little direct exposition, the story depends on Seaton to illustrate the complexity of a setting that features advanced technology, new or mutated animals, and the wildly diverse planets Boetema explores while engaged in what she eventually learns to be astral projection. It’s a rousing adventure set in a world that would seem to have many more tales to tell. Ages 13–up.

January 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 There are a lot of intertwining stories in this first volume of a new fantasy series by award-winning artist del Duca. Boetema has begun dreaming of herself on other worlds, not learning until later that she's actually astral projecting and interacting with beings from other planets. Meanwhile, her brother, Inotu, has gotten himself into trouble with local authorities when he overhears sensitive information. When their parents leave the two teens behind while they go make some quick money, the two take the opportunity to skip town in search of jobs and safety. Alas, things don't turn out as they hope. Seaton's art is lovely, if a bit motionless, and her character designs are imaginative, from the brown-skinned townspeople to the fantastical aliens. The story moves quickly, resulting in transitions that are often jarringgiving just enough detail to inform the readerand none of the characters have a chance to become fully realized. But the direction the story takes is intriguing enough to hook fantasy lovers, who will look forward to having these issues resolved in the sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)