'I raced through this book…a little bit Golden Compass and all adventure.'-Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author 'With a sharp eye toward the rising awareness of device addiction and a keen sense of wonder, McCulloch's tale is a feast for the imagination that celebrates women in STEM fields.'- Publisher's Weekly, STARRED review Summer reading chapter book for kids 9-12 Middle grade book for girls who are passionate about coding Can Lacey hold on to Jinx and her dreams for the future? But Jinx is different than any other baku she's ever seen…He seems real.Īs Lacey settles into life at school, competing with the best students in a battle of the bakus that tests her abilities, she learns that Jinx is part of a dangerous secret. After she repairs it, the cat-shaped baku she calls Jinx opens its eyes and somehow gets her into her dream school. One night, Lacey comes across the broken form of a highly advanced baku. But when Lacey is rejected by the elite academy that promises that future, she's crushed. She has always dreamed of working as an engineer for MONCHA, the biggest tech firm in the world and the company behind the 'baku'-a customizable 'pet' with all the capabilities of a smartphone.

Final chapters offer intriguing reveals but no clear resolution, and the novel ends mid-action, so readers should be ready to hope for sequels.The Golden Compass meets the digital age! When a coding star enters an elite technology academy, she discovers a world of competition, intrigue, and family secrets-plus a robotic companion that isn't what it seems. The appealing smartphone-turned-pet invention at the story’s core makes up for otherwise unoriginal world building, and readers will cling to the edge of their seats as characters risk them in high-stakes battles royales.

The school-story setting, meanwhile, allows for an understated diversity. Lacey’s status as the talented but insecure underdog serves her well, placing readers firmly in her corner from the start, and she finds her perfect foil in the cheeky, mysterious Jinx. With plenty of appeal for any aspiring inventor or STEM enthusiast, this sci-fi adventure offers a novel approach to the robot-with-a-soul story that unfolds speedily alongside other genre tropes, like underground tinkers and corporate conspiracies. With baku Jinx by her side, she’s enrolled in a legendary robotics school and picked for its team of battle baku fighters, but she soon realizes that there’s more to Jinx than anyone notices when he is suddenly stolen, Lacey puts everything at risk to save him. Twelve-year-old Lacey Chu dreams of being a cutting-edge companioneer, designing animal-like robots called bakus, and when she finds a nearly destroyed cat-like baku, she restores him to life.

Jinxed book 3 amy mcculloch