Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-The Firefly Five are back and on an adventure of a lifetime. This sequel begins with Ilana, Julia, Benji, Theo, and narrator Mori as they leave their utopian town of Old Harmonie to seek out Dr. Agatha Varden, one of the town's founders. The Five believe Dr. Varden can help them understand their world in ways that have been shielded from them in their protected bubble. As they venture beyond the safety of the town limits, they encounter evidence that the pristine Old Harmonie is built upon the suffering of others. The Five soon meet some of these less fortunate others: a ragtag group of kids stricken by poverty and health issues. But what they lack in privilege, they make up for in bravery as they join the team to find answers. Readers with a passion for environmentalism and economic equality will be enthralled by this title that explores the impact of a world whose unrestrained consumption has harsh effects on others. As with its predecessor, the dialogue-heavy exposition sometimes comes at the cost of sustaining suspense, but many readers will enjoy the casual conversations among the loyal friends. VERDICT A satisfying, thrilling sequel to The Firefly Code that builds on themes of environmentalism and friendship. Purchase where the previous volume is popular.-Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School, Brooklyn © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Mori, Julia, Benji, and Theo try to help their "something other than human" friend, Ilana, who was created by--and is now threatened by--the founding corporation of their utopian community. The group escapes the confines of Old Harmonie and meets a group of outsiders. Sci-fi lovers and fans of the first novel (The Firefly Code) will enjoy this fast-paced, complex sequel. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Five kids walk from their idyllic suburban community into the rough city, where they've never been, to save the life of one.Mori and her friends know that Old Harmonie, their Utopian community run by KritaCorp, isn't entirely Utopian (The Firefly Code, 2016). Their new friend Ilana, a kid like them, is a form of artificial intelligenceand Krita plans to disassemble her. If the kids can find an old MIT scientist who was involved in Ilana's creation, would she save Ilana's life? They escape to walk 24 miles along disused train tracks into Cambridge, hitting electric fences, angry dogs, and a town Krita flooded to create Old Harmonie's reservoir. Awkwardly, hostilely, they bond with outsider kids. Mori's sheltered perspective misses things that readers will understand: moving blankets on the ground probably conceal a homeless person; red dots on an outsider kid's face are acne, not illness. Despite disturbing dystopic details and sophisticated concepts such as the uncanny valley, Mori's earnestness and hard-won bravery give the story a gentle soul. A few holes remain at the end because the perspective is Mori's and adults refusebelievably, frustratinglyto answer her questions. Mori's heritage is Japanese and Scottish; other characters are brown-skinned and white-skinned. Massachusetts readers will thrill to local details. Cold questions about technology and ethics wrapped in a warm story. (Science fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
