The Ancient Underwater City

April 1, 2023
A boy summons the courage to help friends, whomever or whatever they might be. Young Iggie is moving in with his mother after living with an aunt and uncle. As he arrives in Peculiar Woods, his aunt warns him to stay away from a mysterious lake. Iggie's suspicions that he's entered a new world are confirmed when he wanders off his first night and learns that the inanimate objects here can walk and talk. On his horrible first day at his new school, Iggie cowers in the face of mean bullies, but another opportunity for courage presents itself when he meets two chess pieces--a demanding pawn and a philosophical king--who need help getting to their ancient underwater city. Accompanied by a baby blanket and a chair who needs frequent yoga breaks to cope with stress, Iggie agrees to help, and they sail across the lake, flee ornery beavers, and are rescued by a washing machine named Lazarus Gallington. Rounded cartoon illustrations build suspense at pivotal moments. Though the tale bursts with humor, it's also a tender exploration of the search for home--both the chess pieces' journey toward a literal home and Iggie's adjustment to a new life with his mother. Iggie and his family are light-skinned; a new girl he befriends at school is brown-skinned. Imaginative worldbuilding and adventure mixed with unique characters and quirky humor. (Graphic fiction. 8-11)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 6, 2023
A mysteriously flooded town and inanimate objects suddenly coming to life set the tone for Colmenares’s gently eerie graphic novel series opener. Moving can be stressful enough, but for nine-year-old white-cued Iggie, it comes with the added pressure of living with his mother for the first time after being raised by an aunt. Iggie is excited to get to know his mom and explore his new home, but strange challenges present themselves when, on his first night, Iggie notices a flooded town at the edge of the woods; is rescued from a late-night forest excursion by a walking refrigerator; scolded by a yoga-loving chair; and frightened by his blanket, which is carried away in a storm. At school, Iggie confronts bullies, converses with talking chess pieces, and befriends a girl, depicted with brown skin, who keeps a journal filled with unflattering descriptions of her surroundings before a jerky series of events leads Iggie and several animated objects into the woods to uncover the secrets regarding the mysterious flooded town. While the jumbled plot often sacrifices momentum for snappy one-liners, softly rounded illustrations rendered in an autumnal palette depict Iggie’s loneliness and struggle to fit in, and personify the objects’ bizarre personalities, to deliver a cozy adventure. Ages 7–11.

May 15, 2023
Grades 3-6 Iggie is a young kid who has been raised by his aunt and uncle, after his mother gave him up when he was born. But things have changed, and his mom now feels she can take on the responsibility of parenting, which means Iggie has to give up everything he's ever known. Timid Iggie relocates to the town of Peculiar Woods to live with his mom. The town's name is quite fitting because upon his arrival, Iggie learns he's able to communicate with inanimate objects. He quickly makes friends with a talkative chair, two royal chess pieces, and his childhood blanket. The unlikely group set off on a quest to return the two separated chess pieces to their kingdom, running into an assortment of characters along the way. This offbeat story utilizes the fantasy genre admirably, teaching young readers about the importance of friendship and showing how fear can often be the fuel for true courage and bravery. Peculiar Woods features excellently paced illustrations and full-color panel work that help elevate the story.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.