September 14, 2020
Fifty-six light years from Earth and owned by the North American Triumvirate (NAT)—a group of companies that have outsourced food production to space—New Kansas is home to agri-outpost Alexandria. There, brown-skinned Sienna Barlow has a boon companion in Mega-Dog Gus, an “unsanctioned genetic engineering experiment” created by Sienna’s mother, a scientist at the compound. Gus and the other Mega-Dogs protect Alexandria’s dust crows from large, hissing reptiles known as rippers. Sienna struggles to make friends with local kids, who misconstrue her social anxiety for snobbery. When a NAT v-p pays a visit to check on Alexandria’s power plant and the Mega-Dogs’ long-term viability, two boys pull a prank that places Gus in danger of extermination, prompting Sienna to escape with Gus on a stolen scouting ship. After crashing far away from the settlement, Sienna, Gus, and a stowaway fight to return home and warn about the power plant’s unexpected environmental impacts. Khouri’s expressive full-color art uses a desert palette but often feels disconnected from the text, especially where emphatic dialogue meets statuesque characters. A male-dominated power structure at times
feels uncomfortable, and a lack of accountability for harmful acts leaves
this space adventure’s resolution wanting. Sienna’s anxiety and coping mechanisms, however, are sensitively rendered throughout. Ages 9–10. (Oct.)■