Battle for the Park (Futureland #1)

by H D Hunter (Author) Khadijah Khatib (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
Series: Futureland

When an extraordinary flying theme park arrives above Atlanta, one boy must stop a sinister force from stealing the park's tech and taking over the world. An electrifying illustrated series with the Afrofuturism of Black Panther that took the world by storm. 

Everyone wants a ticket to Futureland, where you can literally live out your wildest dreams. Want to step inside your favorite video game? Go pro in a sports arena? Perform at a real live concert? Grab your ticket and come right in. Yet with all its attractions, Futureland has always just been home to Cam Walker, the son of the park's famous creators. And when Futureland arrives at its latest stop, Atlanta, Cam is thrilled for what promises to be the biggest opening ever. . . .

But things aren't quite right with the Atlanta opening. Park attractions are glitching. Kids go missing. And when his parents are blamed, Cam must find the missing kids and whoever's trying to take down his family . . . before it's too late.

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Kirkus

An imaginative and ambitious not-so-distant future tale with a lot to say about the present. 

Publishers Weekly

In 2048, Black middle schooler Cameron J. Walker lives in Futureland, a flying futuristic theme park he helps his family run. He's literally on top of the world until his parents decide that Futureland's next destination will be his mother's hometown, Atlanta, where they'll remain for the year while Cameron attends his first "real" school Earth-side, staying with his grandmother on school nights. New friends, portrayed as racially diverse, help Cameron settle in; he gets to assist with Futureland on the weekends; and excitement is high for the park's local launch. But everything changes when the park's robots start to malfunction, exhibiting emotional responses more complex than their coding should allow, and kids begin going missing. Cameron and his new pals start unraveling the occurrences, hoping to link them with his parents' odd behavior and a seedy corporation that's gentrifying Atlanta. Interspersed with comics-style illustrations by Khatib (The Marvellers) and featuring enigmatic interstitials, Hunter's debut foregrounds futuristic tech and themes about the value of charting one's own path, creating an exhilarating mystery. Final art not seen by PWAuthor's agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Nov.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Hold on tight, Futureland will be the ride of your life . . . and maybe the last!" —Kwame Mbalia, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Futureland sits at the intersection of thrills, mystery, cool sci-fi, and heart. If you're like me, and these are all of your favorite things, you need a ticket to this stunning attraction ASAP!" —Lamar Giles, author of The Legendary Alston Boys Adventures

"The sci-fi, Afro-futurist adventure you've been looking for . . . Funny, heartbreaking, and thrilling all at once!" —Mark Oshiro, author of The Insiders
H D Hunter
Hugh "H.D." Hunter is a storyteller, teaching artist, and community organizer from Atlanta. He's also the winner of several indie book awards for multicultural fiction. Hugh is committed to stories about Black kids and their many expansive worlds. He loves vegan snacks, basketball, and stories that make you cry--but make you smile afterward. Check out Hugh's work at thesoutherndistrict.com and follow him at @hd_tsd.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593479452
Lexile Measure
570
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date
November 07, 2023
Series
Futureland
BISAC categories
JUV053000 - Juvenile Fiction | Science Fiction
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV011010 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
JUV056000 - Juvenile Fiction | Robots
Library of Congress categories
Mystery and detective stories
Detective and mystery fiction
Missing persons
Technology
Amusement parks
Novels

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