Zap!

Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-7-Sixth-grader Luis has an inquisitive mind. He knows that doing well in school might present a way out of his poor neighborhood. Though his parents aren't around much, his older brother Reynaldo looks after him. When the power goes out in his part of the city, Luis strives to be a hero like those found in Greek mythology. As Luis learns just how electricity is generated to power an entire metropolis, he questions the possible causes of the blackout. He and his friend Maura begin to believe that the lights did not go out by a mere accident. When his neighborhood falls into chaos, Luis recognizes that the loss of electricity has far greater repercussions than just not being able to charge his cell phone. Stores close and black markets pop in their place; hospitals run on emergency generators and gas is hard to come by. The police even seem to abandon the city's residents while businesses are looted. The story has all of the heroic elements, including some bad dudes who hunt for Luis at the behest of crooked politicians. The rich STEM themes make this novel noteworthy. The author has done a solid job weaving in science topics as well as current political and social themes, to create a significant story about infrastructure, science, and class relations. VERDICT Mystery lovers will be satisfied by the plot and adults will love the curriculum and social awareness tie-ins.-Patricia Feriano, Montgomery County Public Schools, MD © 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.

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Review by Horn Book Review

A small, depressed city in southern New Jersey is hit by a rolling blackout. Sixth grader Luis and his friend Maura collaborate to uncover the motive for the computer hack that's caused the problem. Equal parts thriller, STEM lesson, political satire, and commentary on class and racial inequality, this fast-moving story with plenty of heart is well constructed and thought-provoking. Includes electricity facts and emergency-kit instructions. Bib., glos. (c) Copyright 2019. 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.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

It's lights out in Hampton, New Jersey.For 11-year-old Luis Cardenal, the city's power outage means no school and an unwelcome break from his smartphone. But as the people of Hampton grow restless with the ongoing blackout, fantastical rumors of terrorist attacks and false whispers of foreign intervention spread among the adults. Spurred on by a cryptic clue he overhears, as well as the increasing societal collapse of Hampton, Luis starts investigating the mystery behind the blackout, enlisting the expertise of a local, homeless computer whiz. Along for the ride is Luis' "ex-best but still friend," Maura Brown, a white girl who now lives in a much nicer area just outside the city limits. Explicit in her references to racial, gender, and socio-economic divisions prevalent in current U.S. culture, Freeman explores the strained friendship between Luis, a Latino boy who every day gets up "planning to beat the day before it could beat him," and Maura in a heavy-handed, provocative style. At times, Luis' Hamptona city full of dilapidated houses, crime, fear of deportation and the policedepends on stereotypical, politically charged images that may be altogether too real to some readers. The central mystery, meanwhile, falls flat, with a predictable villain and ending.Light on sleuth action, heavy on the social commentary. (Mystery. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Zap! CHAPTER ONE Luis hit the button again, hit it hard. Still, the bulb stayed unlit. This close to throwing the whole thing across the room, he stopped himself. If the noise woke his mom, she'd be mad. She was back on nights. What Luis did instead was grab his phone and call the only other person he knew who had entered the science fair--Maura Brown. "Did you follow the directions?" she asked. "Yeah, I did. There's gremlins in the wires or something." Luis Cardenal was eleven and in sixth grade. He was average height. His shoulders were beginning to broaden, but he still looked more skinny than strong. Luis had a mane of black hair and eyes that were almost as dark. His mom said he'd be a good-looking kid--guapísimo--if only he'd get a haircut and maybe smile once in a while. When his mom said that, Luis pulled his lips back from those teeth and made what Maura called his fierce face. This was a joke between them but not entirely a joke. Luis wasn't really angry the way he looked. More like he was determined, and the smile his mom wished for did not fit with determined. Maura was Luis's best friend. Ex-best friend. Ex-best but still friend. Her hair was red-blond and thick. She had pale skin with freckles, and her eyes were blue. Her nose was so small that Luis had asked her once how she even breathed out of it. She had socked him in reply, and he'd never asked again. Now she said, "There are no gremlins." "Maybe not in your science fair project," Luis said. "It's a science fair project?" Maura said. "How lame is that--a lightbulb?" "A lightbulb that won't light," Luis clarified. "So what's yours that's so great?" "It's a replica of the first kidney dialysis machine," Maura said. "This Dutch doctor invented it right before the Nazi invasion. I mean, mine's going to be smaller and you can't hook it to a live body, or anything, but it turns out to be not that hard to build. You get plastic wrap and orange juice cans--" Luis stopped listening. The Nazi part had sounded interesting, but he didn't know what a di-whatzit machine was, and he sure as heck wasn't going to ask. Maura had a lot to say about her project, so while not listening he fiddled with the faulty circuit that lay in front of him on the floor of his blue bedroom--dark blue for Blue Lu. It had taken a lot of talking, but finally last spring Luis had convinced his parents to let him claim the big bedroom that used to belong to his older brother, Reynaldo. Then he had hung up some posters scrounged from here and there--LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry. On his desk was a chessboard set up for a game. Reynaldo had promised Luis he would teach him to play; Luis was still waiting. The carpet on which he sat now was brown and threadbare, flattened by the soles of countless shoes. There was a one-hundred-dollar prize if you won the science fair. It was definitely worth a try. To get what he needed for the project, Luis had braved the basement. Most of it was junk down there, but if you were determined, you could find almost anything--in this case electrical wire from the cord of a busted lamp, a nine-volt battery, a switch, and a bulb from an old flashlight. Luis had followed directions looked up online to create a circuit--battery connected to wire connected to switch connected to bulb, then back to wire and battery. Maybe the battery was dead? But it looked brand-new. Now Maura was talking about kidneys. Luis had heard somewhere that you could test a battery with your tongue. It sounded weird, but--"Ow!" "Luis! Are you okay?" Maura's voice came from the floor. "Thorry," Luis said, his tongue not working right, then, "Thorry," again when he had picked the phone up. "Don't evuh wick a battewy, Mauwa. It huwts--and it tastes tewwibuh." "Why would I do anything that dumb?" Maura asked. "No reason." The terrible taste was still there, but his tongue was recovering. "Do you want me to come over and take a look at your project? Is that why you called?" Maura asked. "You sound like a mom on TV, Maura: 'Don't make me come down there!' " said Luis. There was a pause. Was she insulted? Anyway, the fact was he did want Maura to come over. Who else was going to help him? Reynaldo would have, but he'd be at work at the garage. He worked all the time. Luis's parents were working, too, and anyway what did they know about science fair projects? They had gone to school in a Nicaraguan village. According to them, the school had dirt floors and one beat-up science book the whole class had to share. "Forget it," he told Maura. "I'll figure it out, or I won't. You're right. It's a stupid project anyway." "I've got my bike," Maura said. "I'll be there soon." Excerpted from Zap! by Martha Freeman All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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