The Search for WondLa | Tony DiTerlizzi

Photo

The Search for WondLa - Tony DiTerlizzi

Eva Nine was raised in underground isolation by a lone robot, Muthr, until a strange creature on the hunt for the little girl destroys their home. Guided by an iPhone-eque Omnipod, an alien guide and a faded photograph, they set off to discover the truth about the world above her and the fate of the human race.

I loved this series before I read it, thanks to a conversation with DiTerlizzi while getting my ARC signed at BEA. He discussed the influence of Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz on his decision to make a strong female character, but I see much more of Phillip Pullman's Lyra in every aspect of Eva Nine, including the artwork. I can't help but love Eva Nine's fashion sense, which echos that of Cindel in The Ewok Aventure.

Media_httpimg442image_mbdkt

The description of the planet and its many creatures are absolutely lush. The ARC doesn't contain all of the book's illustrations, but I'm curious to see how the augmented reality features will complement (or detract from) the story.

There is also a very strong insinuation in the novel that the technology that makes Eva Nine's very way of life possible - the food pills and powders, Muthr's existence, the holograms and Omnipod - lead to the downfall of her civilization. Rovender Kitt, the alien guide, sets up a nice foil by focusing on the merits of real life experience and exploration. The school media specialist side of me would love to crack the spine of this book in a classroom and spark debate on the two sides in a room full of digital natives, but the public librarian in me is mostly glad to have a middle-grade series that isn't pandering or poorly written.


Posted on Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010