The Second Life of Snap

Dystopian though the setting is, it feels fully accessible whether or not readers are frequent sci-fi consumers, with easily recognizable connections to our world. Likable characters with varying takes on Lockwood give readers a chance to form their own opinions. Zuzu's awareness of Snap's dwindling battery life provides both tension and poignancy, and the bittersweet final scene may tug at even a robot's heartstrings.

Snap is magnificent.

Notwithstanding a hint of light at the very end, readers will be strongly affected by this wrenching story as well as by the harsh future setting.

Set in a convincing near-future shaped by climate change, two-time Newbery Medalist Kelly's latest feels both urgent and deeply humane, pairing survival and grit with achingly moving moments of tenderness. A profoundly relevant dystopian tale powered by one resourceful girl and a robot worth rooting for.

Gr 3-8--Filipino American Zuzu is a girl who lives in a dusty part of Texas in a dystopian future. She and her dad live in a settlement that they call Bright Valley because the sun always shines so brightly. They live in a tiny trailer that is subsidized by the wealthier nearby town, Bountiful. Her dad had been working for Lockwood but was let go and given a guardian robot with a broken charger as part of his severance package. Zuzu is very much against the idea of a guardian robot, but her dad is unrelenting. Zuzu's best friend, Elias, likes to tinker with things and he tries to reboot the robot with great success. This is a story with tons of big ideas and questions--are mega corporations sucking the life out of communities and allowing the lower classes of workers to become disposable? Is there an "ethical" way to keep poor people oppressed? Are teachers whose teachings oppose the big corporations hurting or helping students by offering them ideas that are different from the company line? There are also themes of friendship, the use of technology, and the power of nature. As usual, Kelly spins a wonderful story with compelling characters and interesting conflicts that will give readers an opportunity to discuss and mull over its themes for a long time. VERDICT An excellent addition to any upper elementary or middle school library. This is dystopian fiction at its finest.--Debbie Tanner

A dictatorial regime's robot creation provides unexpected comfort to down-and-out tweens in this affirming contemplation of mortality and the necessity of community from Kelly (The Last Resort). Twelve-year-old Zuzu lives in Barren, Tex., a dusty wasteland governed by a technological mega-conglomerate called the Lockwood Corporation. When Zuzu's father is laid off from Lockwood, he receives a robot (sans charger) as severance; to Zuzu's dismay, it's revealed to be programmed as a Lockwood-sponsored chaperone. Meeting up with her friends at a local salvage yard, Zuzu and her technophile bestie Elias reprogram the robot, awakening within it a new sensibility: rather than admonishing the group for breaking Lockwood rules, it bends the truth on their behalf and displays unexpected curiosity in and compassion for its human charges. The group dubs it Snap, who becomes a friend, but its battery is slowly dying, and the kids have been unable to salvage a new charger. Succinct and immersive prose renders a futuristic tale that touches on timely subjects such as climate change, technological classism, and the increasing integration of AI into everyday life, populated by racially diverse characters whose ingenuity and capacity for optimism model replicable behaviors for children navigating similar ordeals. Ages 8-12. Agent: Sara Crowe, Sara Crowe Literary. (May)