City Under the City. Dan Yaccarino. 2022. [November] 68 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: This is Bix. In the city where Bix and her family live, the Eyes help everyone. But Bix hates being helped all the time. She likes doing things herself. Her family does not understand. But they let Bix be Bix.
Premise/plot: This one defies genres in a way. At its most basic, it is a picture book. But it is a futuristic and/or dystopian picture book with some complex topics (or messages or themes). Bix, a child, is tired of living under the watchful eyes of the EYES. Everyone is mindlessly addicted to small screens, I believe, but not Bix who is quite bored. She follows a rat--for many, many, many, many, many spreads. The rat leads her to a crack in the "perfect" world that leads down to a city under the city. This is an abandoned city with a LIBRARY. An actual library with millions of books. Bix, to be honest, has never been interested in reading before. But now these BOOKS lead to everything--knowledge, wonder, awe. After some time living in this city under the city, she decides to go back to her own world, her own family, to share what's she's learned. Once again, books are the building blocks.
My thoughts: Some are calling this a graphic novel. I'm not sure if it is. It might be. I do think it's definitely science fiction. I also agree that it isn't your typical children's book.
Freedom of choice is a big theme in this one.
© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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