Review by Booklist Review
Jat and Newton are both outsiders; Jat is picked on for being perpetually sooty from his dangerous job collecting coal from the fire sea, and Newton has a philosopher's mind in a society wary of his stargazing. So despite the fact that Newton is a 50-foot giant and Jat is, well, not, they understand each other. But not everyone in Jat's village is able to look beyond Newton's fearsome appearance, and, when the giants from whom Newton fled arrive looking to properly punish him (and hungry for a snack of humans), the two friends and the rest of the village will learn that the biggest foe of all is fear itself. Newton's adorable idiosyncrasies and profound wisdom are a bright light in this feel-good story. With sweet illustrations by John Himmelman's son at the start of each chapter and nods to the classic story of Jack and the Beanstalk and Roald Dahl's The BFG, the latest from the prolific author of the Bunjitsu Bunny series is well worth a read.--Eleanor Roth Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this unusual fantasy, bullied boy Jat meets a giant who has been banished from his home for introducing reading and science. The pair's budding friendship is interrupted by the arrival of other giants bent on destruction, leading to lots of action. The basic premise (an investigation of power and respect) is worth exploring, and John Himmelman's world-building is inventive. (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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Can giants and humans overcome their differences to battle a common enemy?Giants only exist in nannytales, or so Jat thought. But when one arrives on the shore of the Fire Sea, Jat is forced to rethink his understanding of the world and how it works. Once Jat and the others in his village grow used to having a giant in their midst, they become comfortable trading chores for food. But this precarious balance between species is threatened when more giants arrive, giants who are not as reasonable as Newton. These giants not only want to (and do) eat the villagers, they also want to capture Newton and return him to their own land to be punished for daring to practice rudimentary astronomy instead of simply accepting the common thinking. An exploration of the joys and dangers of being different, the boundaries of loyalty, and the power of learning, the tale is told within a well-built world that plays gently with readers' knowledge of fairy-tale conventions. John Himmelman explores his themes with a sprightly, engaging cast of default-white characters; this is also reflected in Jeff Himmelman's whimsical chapter heads. While some sections seem to exist as action for action's sakeand it can get a tad gruesomethe narrative as a whole offers a cohesive adventure story with a few surprise twists.A sweet tale about a different scientific revolution and its rocky start. (Fantasy. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
