October 1, 2022
Black seventh grader Cameron J. Walker has never been to a normal school before--he's been busy hovering above major world cities in Futureland. It's 2048, and the high-tech theme park is filled with his parents' imaginative inventions, including lifelike androids, or revs. But the plan this school year is to float above Atlanta so Cameron can enroll at Eastside Middle School, spend time with his Grandma Ava, and make some human kid friends. Plans go awry as corporate espionage and shady housing practices intersect before Futureland's Atlanta opening. The Atlanta Disuse and Redevelopment Corporation and its shady White CEO have been spying on them, hoping to sabotage the park and appropriate its technology in its continued efforts to exploit the city for profit. Their plan involves hacking into revs, undermining the park's--and surrounding community's--security and safety measures, as well as abducting children to elicit fear and acquiring the space for themselves. These events evoke the real-life child abductions of 1980s Atlanta and the displacement issues the city faces today. The book is not entirely successful in handling weighty subjects like missing Black children, gentrification, and racial inequities. Aspiring detective Cameron struggles with self-doubt, something that is relatable for readers but also compromises the momentum of such a high-stakes story. Nevertheless, with the help of friends (human and rev alike), Cam saves the day. Final art not seen. An imaginative and ambitious not-so-distant future tale with a lot to say about the present. (Science fiction. 9-13)

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October 24, 2022
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 PW. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary.

November 1, 2022
Grades 3-7 The year is 2048, and the famous Walker family is building a new theme park above Atlanta, Georgia. Futureland is an imaginative, Wonka-esque place that gives kids their heart's desire, and it's fitted out with the latest technology, including humanlike androids called revs. Seventh-grader Cam Walker is heir to this legacy, but doesn't know if he wants it. He recently started real school on the ground, and all his new friends are envious of his life. No one would believe that all he wants is to be a regular kid. When some kids go missing after the park's opening night and Cam's parents start acting strange, Cam and his new friends must solve the mystery before the Futureland legacy is destroyed. Hunter makes good use of the Atlanta setting, exploring the city's rich history and populating it with mostly Black characters. Some troubling elements of Atlanta's past are highlighted throughout the book and add to the story's texture. A thought-provoking middle-grade sci-fi story with an adventurous pace.

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February 10, 2023

Gr 4-8-Welcome to Futureland, the most innovative theme park in the year 2048. Traveling in the air, it offers visitors a one-of-a-kind VR experience where they can live out their biggest dreams. For seventh-grader Cameron Walker, who is Black, it's just his daily life: his parents created Futureland. Now, though, the park has stopped over Atlanta, and things start to go awry at the park. The revs-highly realistic, AI park characters-are taking on troubling traits; Cameron's parents are acting very strange; children are disappearing. In order to save Atlanta and the park, Cameron's going to have to use his best sleuthing skills to solve a mystery much more dangerous than he imagined. Readers will be bursting to visit every "destiny" in this fictional theme park, and the fast-paced plot will keep them reading. More than that, though, it's the characters and messaging that will stick with tweens. Featuring a cast that's made up almost entirely of people of color, the book speaks to social justice issues in middle grade-friendly ways. There are a few moments in the story where readers may stumble over a character's motive, but not enough to slow them down. Dynamic comic spreads by Khatib are sprinkled throughout the story, occasionally in places that feel abrupt, but overall they add to the moving plot. VERDICT An exciting new series that will grab readers with its futuristic setting, diverse characters, and brisk plotting.-Kristin Brynsvold

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