Science Fiction

The Space Cat / Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford (Illustrator)

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The Space Cat
By: Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 176
Published: August 12, 2025
Publisher: First Second
Dates Read: October 20, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

By day, Periwinkle is adored by his two humans. By night, he’s a space cat who races through the cosmos on his custom-built spaceship. Between battles with his squeaky toys and working on ways to make his ship faster, Periwinkle is never bored. So, when his humans decide to move to the small Nigerian town of Kaleria, Periwinkle is excited to explore, even if many Nigerians hate cats… nothing will steer this adventurous cat away from adventure! But, not everything in Kaleria is as it seems and soon enough, Periwinkle finds himself on his craziest adventure yet!

This is such an amazingly cute graphic novel that any cat lover will enjoy. This story is inspired by Nnedi Okorafor’s real life cat, Periwinkle and crazy adventures he may get into when she and her daughter aren’t looking (who knew cats destroy the house when you’re gone because they’re defeating alien foes?!). Okorafor’s portrayal of Periwinkle comes from a loving heart as both his mannerisms and dialog are goofy, but in a fun way.

Tana Ford’s coloring is eye-catching and immersive. Cats are way more expressive than most people realize and some illustrators are better at capturing than others and Ford does a fantastic job! She totally has a cat, or has been around them enough to be able to capture Periwinkle’s expressions perfectly.

Overall, super cute, super funny, a great read for cat lovers and scifi readers.

*Thank you First Second and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Automatic Noodle / Annalee Newitz

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Automatic Noodle
By: Annalee Newitz
Genre: Science Fiction, Novella
Number of Pages: 163
Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Tordotcom
Dates Read: September 5, 2025 - September 7, 2025
Format: Hardcover

While San Francisco rebuilds from war, a group of abandoned food service bots take over their own delivery app account and rebrand as the best hand-pulled noodle shop in the neighborhood. There’s just one little snag – someone-or something- is negative-review bombing their restaurant’s page and plummeting their ratings! Can the bots figure out who’s doing it and put a stop to the review bombing before it’s too late for the restaurant?

One of my supervisors sent me the link to this when it was first announced and I immediately put it on my TBR. Why?

  1. Look at this cover and tell me you’re not intrigued!
  2. Robots who start a noodle shop?!
  3. It’s a novella (and novella just hit different)

So, after reading it, what are my thoughts?

Did I know there was such a thing as a cozy sci-fi? Sure – but I hadn’t read one yet! Also add in some found family and challenge the norms and you’ve got yourself this novella!

It was an amazing read filled with an alternative America, commentary on identity, fear, and challenging biases. Though it was about robots, they were definitely stand-ins for how we as people can treat others based on gender, sexuality, and immigration status.

Overall, a wonderful novel, perfect for those who love sci-fi and want a cozy little read about a hand-pulled noodle shop run by robots.

Now excuse me while I go find a hand-pulled noodle shop to go try!

*Thank you Tordotcom and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Wild Robot on the Island / Peter Brown

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The Wild Robot on the Island
By: Peter Brown
Genre: Children’s
Number of Pages: 48 
Published: June 24, 2025
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: July 30, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

When Roz washes up on an island, she accepts that this is where she is supposed to be and learns from the animals around her. Before long, the island begins to feel like home – especially when Roz becomes a mother to an orphaned gosling she calls Brightbill.

This is a simplified version of The Wild Robot that Peter Brown wrote because he “wanted to depict Roz’s life on the island with large, detailed, colorful illustrations.”, as per his note in the back of the book.

I’m here to tell you that if you adored Roz in The Wild Robot you will fall in love with her again in this version as well because of the illustrations. The original book has black and white illustrations scattered throughout the chapters, but this is a big, bold, and beautiful children’s picture book version!

The Wild Robot Protects (The Wild Robot #3) / Peter Brown

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The Wild Robot Protects (The Wild Robot #3)
By: Peter Brown
Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 304
Published: May 6, 2025 (1st Published September 26, 2023)
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: June 17, 2025 - June 23, 2025
Format: Paperback

Roz has fought hard to get back to her island with her friends and her son Brightbill, all seems to be going well until one day an injured seal washes ashore and warns of a dangerous, dust poison tide that’s in the water and heading the island’s way. Once the poison tide is at the island’s edge, the animals are forced inland and resources begin running scarce.

Roz helps the island as much as she can but understands the toll everyone is under. When Roz discovers she’s waterproof, she sets out across the ocean to find out what’s causing the poison tide.

During her underwater journey, Roz meets amazing creatures and sees fantastical geological formations. Friends she makes along the way direct her to the north, to find the giant Ancient Shark. When she finally meets the Ancient Shark, they explain where the poison tide is coming from and that they want to prepare an attack with an army of sea creatures. Roz however, hopes for a peaceful interaction. Can the wild robot save the ocean and her island?

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first or second of the series, mainly because it focused on taking care of the environment, especially with the choices that we make and the consequences that could happen. It kind of made humans to be the bad guys – even if we did clean up after basically getting caught.

Readers who fell in love with Roz the first two books will also enjoy this book, especially because Roz is learning and experiencing something new, but just note it focuses heavily on the message of environment protection, especially within the oceans.

Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #0.5) / Suzanne Collins

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Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #0.5)
By: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA, Dystopia
Number of Pages: 400
Published: March 18, 2025
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Dates Read: March 18, 2025 - March 23, 2025
Format: Hardcover

Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think about his chances at the fiftieth Hunger Games. This year, it’s the Quarter Quell and twice as many tributes will be taken to the arena to fight to the death. All Haymitch wants to do is get through the day, celebrate his birthday with cake and spending time with the girl that he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, his life is shattered and he’s pulled away from his family and his love, shuttled off to the Capital with three other District 12 tributes: a young girl who’s nearly a sister to him, an oddsmakers, and the most stuck-up girl in town. Haymitch quickly discovers he’s being set up to fail, but there’s something in him that wants to fight… not only for his life in the arena, but far beyond its walls.

It’s been three days since I finished this novel and I’m still not over it. This book is everything I wanted for Haymitch’s Hunger Games and so much more. It’s gut wrenching. It’s thrilling. It’s heart shattering – which, yes, is so much more than breaking, let me tell you!

The connections that Suzanne Collins makes in this that then interweaves into the original trilogy is phenomenal – there were pieces I didn’t even know were missing from the puzzle that she reveals. I don’t think I’ve ever had the strong desire that I’ve had after reading a book to reread an entire trilogy as I’ve had with this. Again, if that doesn’t showcase the talent of Collins’ writing, I don’t know what else you need. (Though the urge is still there to just sit and read the original trilogy, I did purchase the four movie set on DVD and have binging those).

Even though we all know what the outcome of Haymitch’s story is, it still didn’t stop this from being agonizing. You meet both new and old characters and no matter how much you try to shield your heart, that wall gets detonated.

Overall, Haymitch’s journey shows that not everybody gets to be the hero, especially at the start, and that change doesn’t happen overnight – it sometimes can be twenty-five plus years in the making.

Lunar Boy / Jes and Cin Wibowo

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Lunar Boy
By: Jes and Cin Wibowo
Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 240
Published: May 14, 2025
Publisher: HarperAlley
Dates Read: March 4, 2025 - March 5, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Indu, a boy from the moon, has felt like he doesn’t belong ever since he and his adoptive mother disembarked from their spacecraft to live on New Earth with their new family. The kids at school think he’s weird and he’s not fluent in their language, he has a crush on his pen pal, and his stepfamily doesn’t seem to know how to connect with him. Worst of all, his mom’s so busy that Indu can’t even tell her what’s wrong.

In a low moment, Indo calls out to the moon, begging to take him back. Surprisedly, the moon answers and agrees to bring him home on the first day of the New Year. As the days pass, Indu finds friendship in unlikely places and discovers the connections to his new family that were lost before. When the moon finally calls him home, Indu must decide if he’s willing to give up what he’s just found.

I was first interested in this graphic novel because of the artwork / color palette (sunset blue and pink are my all time favorite colors), but secondly because it just won the Stonewall Book Award for Children – and boy did it do an amazing job at representation! Trans, Bi, Pan, not to mention different body sizes, shapes, and ethnicities.

This graphic novel is great for the discussion of changing family dynamics, starting over in a new place, navigating identity and friendships, and trans identity. This is aimed at middle grade readers, but I feel like those of middle grade and older would enjoy it.

Stonewall Book Award for Children 2025

We Called Them Giants / Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans (Artist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

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We Called Them Giants
By: Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans (Artist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 104
Published: November 24, 2024
Publisher: Image Comics
Dates Read: February 16, 2025
Format: Library Book / eBook

Lori wakes to find the streets empty and everyone gone. She finds a school friend, Annette, and the duo work together to survive as best they can, especially avoiding the gang who call themselves The Dogs. Then, one day alien crafts appear and giants begin to roam around. Lori and Annette begin to be drawn to the giants for protection, but communication is limited. What are they here for?

I originally grabbed this because of the artwork and oh my, did it not disappoint! It was beautiful and captivating throughout all the pages.

That being said though, the story fell short for me. We were given so many questions and I felt like most of them were not answered by the end. Like, where did most of the humans go? Why were only some people left? Where did the giant come from (besides space), and what were they doing here? Were the events connected??

I gave it the star rating I did for the art, the story itself still has too many unanswered questions.

*Thank you Image Comics and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Bones Beneath My Skin / TJ Klune

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The Bone Beneath My Skin
By: TJ Klune
Genre: Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 416
Published: February 4, 2025 (1st Published October 26, 2018)
Publisher: Tor Books
Dates Read: January 4, 2025 - January 16, 2025
Format: Paperback / ARC

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he lost his journalist job in Washington DC. The only thing he has left is his dad’s old truck, and the family’s empty summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon. So he decides to go there to be alone – except, the cabin isn’t empty. A big gruff of a man named Alex is there. And with him is a young girl, who’s not really young, but oh is she extraordinary. She calls herself Artemis Darth Vader.

It becomes clear to Nate that he has two choices. One is to wallow in the memories of his past and drown. Two is the fight for a future he never thought possible. Because it wasn’t by chance Nate met this duo in his cabin, he doesn’t really believe is fate or destiny either – but they’re special, and Nate will do what it takes to keep them free.

Oh I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book! As always, I was not disappointed by anything TJ Klune writes; there’s found family, gayness, witty humor, and this time, bacon (all the bacon), conspiracy theories, and running from bad men!

I don’t know how Klune is able to write such realistic, multilayered characters that always end up stealing pieces of my heart and never letting it go, but he does so every single time. The little found family of Nate, Alex, and Art will live on forever in my head by the phrase, “How would Art experience this?” when going through life.

This book is more science fiction over Klune’s usual (recent) releases of fantasy, and there is a small spice scene, but I wouldn’t classify this as a sole romance. There’s more focus on the found family portion as well as Nate coming to terms with his past.

Overall, this is a wonderful, thrilling, fast pace, page turner filled with a blend of the supernatural and of the human experience that is a must-read for all.

*Thank you Tor Books and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Grief in the Fourth Dimension / Jennifer Yu

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Grief in the Fourth Dimension
By: Jennifer Yu
Genre: YA
Number of Pages: 344
Published: July 16, 2024
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Dates Read: December 1, 2024 - December 4, 2024
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: Depression, death, grief, racial and migrant issues, mention of suicide

Kenny Zhou and Caroline Davison were in two separate universes in school – Caroline’s is one of softball and family dinners; Kenny’s is one of textbooks and late-night shifts at his parents’ Chinese restaurant. But after their deaths, they find themselves as roommates in a mysterious white room with a large hi-def TV that shows their loved ones’ lives.

As Kenny and Caroline watch their loved one’s life continue on, they realize they can influence events through radio signals, psychic mediums, and electromagnetic interference. As they try to help their loved ones through their grief, Kenny and Caroline start to understand the depth of how their lives and deaths were connected and how to help their families.

Jennifer Yu did a wonderful job bringing up heavy topics without making them heavy. It was an easy read, that still brought up physics and philosophy in ways that made you think.

My only con of this is I wish we did get a little more about Kenny. I understand the reasoning why we didn’t in a way, but I felt like the focus of the novel was more on Caroline and her family’s healing.

<spoiler/> So this one is a little close to home in a way, especially after we find out how it was Kenny’s mom who killed Caroline and the court process her family was going through. The guy who hit and killed my dad got 5 days in jail and probation. Drugs were kind of a factor, but it of course, is complicated </spoiler>

Overall, this is a great read about grief and the passing of loved ones. It probably won’t be for everyone, and in all honesty, may make you cry if you’ve recently lost someone.

The Wild Robot Escapes / Peter Brown

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The Wild Robot Escapes
By: Peter Brown
Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 288
Published: April 7, 2020 (1st Published March 13, 2018)
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: October 19, 2024 - October 21, 2024
Format: Paperback

Roz gets taken to the robot repair factory for repairs and then shipped out to help at a Hilltop Farm for the Shreef family. She makes friends with the cows on the farm, as well as the two children, who are always asking for more stories about the robot on the island. Roz misses her friends and adopted goose son, Brightbill, back on the island and is always planning the perfect time for her escape. But she can’t do it alone.

I feel like I loved this second book in the series just a little more than I did the first. I think because I was so invested in Roz and Brightbill reuniting. I sat up so late one night reading this and gasping and chuckling so hard that I would worry about waking my partner up. When I finally persuaded myself to stop for the night, the chapter I started with first thing the next morning ended in a cliffhanger and I would have stayed up even later to read more if I had continued.

Throughout the novel, I loved that everyone had heard stories, or rumors, about a robot mother and her duck son and how excited they were to finally meet Roz. Because of this, Roz had so many allies everywhere she went and it made her escape more realistic in a way (even with talking animals).

The illustrations were a wonderful addition to this, just like in the first. I especially liked to read about Peter Brown’s writing and illustrating process that he talks about in the end. It  kind of made the illustrations even more fun.

Overall, this book has great lessons and opportunities to open doors for discussion about kindness, helping one another, love, the meaning of home, and what it means to be human. The writing in this is still simplified, just like the first one (childlike, but with older themes), but I believe both children and adults will love it – just like I did.