Trex

September 15, 2022
A 12-year-old fugitive starts middle school with a literally electrifying secret to keep. After eight years of home schooling and sudden flights with his fanatically cautious mother, frustrated Trex jumps at the chance to be a "normal" kid for once--a tall order, as his whole body functions as a capacitor to power the experimental bioware in his brain, and touching anyone else or any metal item creates a dangerous electric spark. Worse yet, unbeknownst to Trex and (initially) his mom, the evil technocrat who financed the experiment has caught up with them at long last and, eager to get him back onto the operating table for further slicing and dicing, has hacked into his mental settings. Morrell really stacks the deck against her protagonist, but along with casting him with a winning mixture of decency and smarts, she deals him Mellie, a sharp young recluse who fancies herself a detective and, despite struggling with a profound anxiety disorder, proves a redoubtable ally through cascading crises that escalate from pranks into kidnappings, brutal attempted murders, last-tick rescues, and shocks both literal and in the form of revelations about Trex's history, family, and even identity. Trex and the rest of the central cast are White; two siblings in the supporting cast are Black. The author offers reassurance to readers who identify with Mellie in an afterword. Definitely buzzworthy. (Science fiction. 9-13)

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October 1, 2022

Gr 3-7-Twelve-year-old Trex Wilson is used to cross-country moves, having zero friends, and being unable to touch anyone without wearing rubber gloves. It's all par for the course when you're a middle schooler with an experimental brain implant whose side effects include shooting lightning bolts out of your fingertips. Ever since he received the first biotechnology of its kind after a near-fatal car accident, his mother has kept them on the move, fearing that The Company wants Trex as a test subject. When they arrive in Hopewell, Trex convinces his mom that he can keep his powers under wraps while attending school for the first time. What he isn't counting on is a classmate like Mellie Chandler, an aspiring detective who witnesses a zap and begins spying on Trex. After the two bond over their shared social isolation (she suffers from excruciating stomachaches and is the target of bullying), Mellie enlists Trex's help investigating The Prowler, a mysterious stranger that Trex worries could be a Company representative. This novel delivers on its engaging Stranger Things-meets-superheroes hook with a well-plotted mystery that balances action, friendship, and thoughtful discussion of mental health. Although some plot revelations are delivered too conveniently, the book's major twist pays off and fuels an action-packed second half. Both protagonists are presumed white. VERDICT A worthwhile purchase with cross-cutting appeal for readers of mystery, science fiction, or heartfelt friendship narratives; hand to fans of Greg Van Eekhout or Stacy McAnulty.-Elizabeth Giles

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