The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...
Isabella's great imagination takes her on a whirlwind day in which she is an amazing astronaut, a speedy sharpshooter, a brave activist, a brilliant scientist, a kind doctor, and a dear mother. Each identity is that of a famous woman who changed history. A wonderful story, My Name is Not Isabella shows the importance good role models can have in our lives and gives honor to women everywhere who use their influence to better the world. Litwin's interesting illustrations that combine digital collage with pastel-styled drawings are bright, charming, and the perfect complement to Fosberry's energetic text.
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