Float

March 1, 2018
A cabin full of boys with uncontrollable powers races to change the future in this new adventure from Martin (Code Name Flood, 2017, etc.).At Camp Outlier, everyone's a RISK. The "recurring incidents of the strange kind" vary. Some kids spontaneously combust, and others have X-ray vision. Twelve-year-old Emerson floats unless he wears a weighted vest to keep him grounded. When his mom drops him off for two and a half months of government-supervised fun, Emerson discovers that, for the first time, he doesn't feel out of place. His cabin bands together to win the capture-the-flag tournament and to save their new friend Murphy, a time traveler doomed to disappear forever if they can't find a way to change his future. The summer-camp setting recalls Camp Half-Blood of the Percy Jackson series, though with far less gender diversity. Although the boys occasionally interact with a cabin of girls, the female characters come across as props in a world where heterosexuality is an unquestioned norm. In one scene, the older campers force Emerson's cabin into dresses and makeup for their camp initiation. This scene returns as a recurring joke throughout the book. Overall, a retrograde sense of masculinity overshadows what might otherwise be a story about finding kinship and self-confidence. Although the book assumes a white default, some of the campers are diverse.The plot may be about trying to change the future, but the patriarchal themes in this action story are stuck in the past. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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March 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-Emerson floats. Unfortunately, he has almost no control over his floating, which makes it a Reoccurring Incidents of the Strange Kind (RISK) factor. He and other kids like him are sent to Camp Outlier where the government can keep a close eye on them. It's a motley crew in Emerson's cabin: Gary is sticky, Hank can't control his invisibility, Zeke has sporadic X-ray vision, and Anthony is a human torch. For once in his life, Emerson feels like he finally fits in. With lots of action, great dialogue, and plenty of humor, Martin's style and tone are reminiscent of Gordon Korman and Dan Gutman. VERDICT With a great premise and solid writing, this should be a popular addition to the middle grade collections.-Jane Hebert, Glenside Public Library District, Glendale Heights, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 2, 2018
In this lighthearted middle grade romp, kids with super powers enjoy a fun-filled summer at a camp designed to accommodate their special needs. Twelve-year-old Emerson’s ability to float marks him as a RISK—a reoccurring incident of the strange kind—forced to wear weighted shoes and a vest just to stay on the ground. At Camp Outlier, he’s surrounded by people just like him, cursed with powers they can’t control, such as the accidentally invisible Hank, the spontaneously combusting Anthony, and the time-traveling Murphy. As members of the Red Maple cabin, they bond through hazing rituals, pranks, and the usual camp-sponsored activities. However, when they discover an unsettling secret involving Murphy’s intermittent trips through time, Emerson and the others must find a way to change his fate. While there’s an underlying tension involving the unknown tragedy in Murphy’s future, the real heart of the story is in the idyllic satisfaction Emerson feels as he makes friends and lives life to the fullest, eschewing electronic devices for adventures in the great outdoors. Drawing from her father’s stories of childhood escapades, Martin (Code Name Flood) conjures a sense of wonder and whimsy, even as she reminds readers that her characters’ powers are as much a blessing as they are a curse. Ages 8–12.

March 1, 2018
Grades 4-7 Emerson floats. He is a kid with RISK, a Recurring Incident of the Strange Kind. But he's not alone. At a summer camp for kids like him, all with different RISKs, Emerson makes friends for the first time who don't think he's weird. The boys in Emerson's cabin, Red Maple, become close as the summer progresses, so when one of them learns some upsetting news about his future, they band together to try to fix it. The included letters from each of the Red Maple boys to their parents miss the mark a bit, as these are the only times the reader is taken out of Emerson's first-person point of view. However, the idea of building and crossing items off of a life list, around which the boys base their summer, is simply superb. Martin's novel feels exactly like summer camp should; the antics of the boys and the friendships they develop will make readers wish they were roasting marshmallows in the woods with their best friends.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)