Flood City

November 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 Max Salazar, his sister, and their friends live in Flood City, Earth's last remaining haven above water. Max has been taught all his life to fear and despise the Chemical Barons, a dangerous dynasty that looms threateningly over them all, and after an unexpected attack on Flood City results in him saving the life of Ato, a young Baron, Max must find a way to keep his home and loved ones safe. In this middle-grade dystopian novel, Older presents a futuristic cityscape replete with technological innovations, like jet-powered boots, and dangerous hybrid mutations, like the menacing iguanagulls. The three-act adventure boasts a vibrant setting; multifaceted characters, alien and human alike; and a heart-stopping plot as Max and Ato join forces to prevent nuclear destruction, emphasizing the importance of working with a diverse community to achieve common goals. Short, action-packed chapters will hook readers with excitement as this steampunk-y journey explores life in a time of intergalactic war, when anything is possible.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Two siblings must defend the last surviving city on Earth. Decades ago, humanity was divided into two groups: those who inhabit Flood City--like Max and Yala Salazar--and the Chemical Barons, who ruled over Earth but took off into space when it was devastated by the Floods. Now, the Chemical Barons want to return to Earth, and Mephim, an ArchBaron in the Chemical Dynasty, has a nefarious plan to achieve this. But, when Ato, a young Baron in training, discovers the truth behind a routine reconnaissance mission, he questions his loyalties in the battle between the Barons, the Earthlings, and the Star Guard Conglomerate, peacekeepers and providers of food rations for the people of Flood City. Back on Earth, Yala secretly wants to join the Star Guard and help fight the Chemical Barons even if she doesn't agree with everything they do--and when the Barons attack, the struggle for survival begins. The cast is diverse, and race is a factor in this world in which predominantly Black and brown people were left behind in Flood City while mostly White people escaped. This element of the story, which parallels real-life environmental inequities, is mentioned in passing as something Baron histories uncomfortably avoid engaging with and that forcibly strikes Ato when he arrives on Earth. Jarring perspective changes keep readers moving through Flood City and its airspace but can be confusing to follow. Older's signature infusion of fantastical elements into the dystopian environment grounds readers in the characters' high-stakes challenges. Action-packed. (Science fiction. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)