Set in a convincing near-future shaped by climate change, two-time Newbery Medalist Kelly’s latest feels both urgent and deeply humane, pairing survival and grit with achingly moving moments of tenderness. A profoundly relevant dystopian tale powered by one resourceful girl and a robot worth rooting for. - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A dictatorial regime’s robot creation provides unexpected comfort to down-and-out tweens in this affirming contemplation of mortality and the necessity of community from Kelly. Succinct and immersive prose renders a futuristic tale that touches on timely subjects such as climate change, technological classism, and the increasing integration of AI into everyday life, populated by racially diverse characters whose ingenuity and capacity for optimism model replicable behaviors for children navigating similar ordeals. - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Notwithstanding a hint of light at the very end, readers will be strongly affected by this wrenching story as well as by the harsh future setting. - Booklist (starred review)
Snap is magnificent. - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
Kelly spins a wonderful story with compelling characters and interesting conflicts that will give readers an opportunity to discuss and mull over its themes for a long time. An excellent addition to any upper elementary or middle school library. This is dystopian fiction at its finest. - School Library Journal (starred review)
Dystopian though the setting is, it feels fully accessible whether or not readers are frequent sci-fi consumers, with easily recognizable connections to our world. Likable characters with varying takes on Lockwood give readers a chance to form their own opinions. Zuzu’s awareness of Snap’s dwindling battery life provides both tension and poignancy, and the bittersweet final scene may tug at even a robot’s heartstrings. - Horn Book (starred review)