One Trick Pony

Gr 3-6—In a futuristic world where hostile aliens eat and destroy all technology, three young people are out searching for machinery to salvage. They succeed when they find a cache of robots, including a robot pony, which sets off a wild chase and confrontation with bands of roaming humans, aliens, and more. Set in a land that blends Stone Age elements and highly advanced technology, this graphic novel adventure features the same mix of humor and derring-do that makes Hale's "Hazardous Tales" so popular. The artwork is in black-and-white, with shades and pops of yellow. While many aspects of the book (for instance, aliens who use bubbles as weapons) might seem cartoony, the illustrations of this epic fantasy are sophisticated, and Hale's world-building is detailed. The violence is free of gore, making this a safer choice for younger readers. VERDICT A great option for fantasy and adventure fans.—Elizabeth Nicolai, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Earth has been conquered; families traveling in caravans preserve civilization's digital archives while avoiding bioparasites called pipers that slurp up robots and other metals. Strata, Auger, and Inby, three young nomads, stumble on a cache of robots; the best prize is Kleidi, a working robotic horse. The robots call forth a lethal swarm of pipers, but Strata won't abandon Kleidi. Auger and Inby make it home with the help of Pick, a self-possessed girl from outside the caravan, and Strata and Kleidi take on the pipers, then confront their pompous overlords. Hale (the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series) pours imaginative detail and intensity into the ruins of the destroyed world, the icky details of the pipers, and his human characters. He draws in grayscale with yellow highlights, giving all things robotic and metallic a particular glow. The dialogue is distinctive, too: "You eat pigs, do you not?" one of Earth's overlords asks Strata. "Have you taken the time to converse with a pig--a small pig--as we are conversing with you now?" Hale gives his post-apocalyptic scenario special sauce, and readers will hope for more. Ages 8-12. Agency: Shannon Associates. (Mar.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"Hale imbues his latest with pathos, action, and perfectly timed moments of comedy, but it's the imaginative landscape, spot-on visual pacing, and confident line work that make this adventure tale really zing."—Booklist