Book Review: Jinxed by Amy McCulloch

Jinxed
by Amy McCulloch (j McCulloch)

Imagine a world in which we are no longer leashed to our phones. Instead, we are “leashed” to digital pets called bakus that handle our calls, messages, social media, calendars, everything our phones can do, and more. Because they are pets, these bakus can also sooth us and entertain us. They are powered by our own kinetic energy when they are leashed to us through a device we wear on our ear. It’s a wild idea, but not too out of this world.

 

That’s the idea behind the book Jinxed by Amy McCulloch. Kids grow up hoping to advance their pets from a cheap Level One butterfly or scarab beetle, to a Level Three and beyond pet such as a cat, dog, eagle, boar, koala, or sloths. Kids also dream of being smart and talented enough to go to an elite Profectus academy so that someday they can be part of the MONCHA tech company and design future innovations. But as all such major innovations and corporations are world changing, they come with world-changing risks and evils.

 

In this book, 14-year-old Lacey Chu is scraping by with her mom — her dad was a MONCHA engineer who mysteriously disappeared years earlier. Clever, talented and at the top of her class, Lacey is crushed when she doesn’t get into the elite Profectus school so she can learn to be a companioneer. But then she stumbles upon a broken, mangled, and lifeless cat baku. Lacey suddenly discovers that she has been accepted into the school. With her incredible mechanical skills, Lacey repairs the cat baku who she calls Jinx. Jinx also has incredible abilities, beyond those of a regular Level 3 baku. Jinx has a mind and personality of its own—a little too much like a real cat — that causes Lacey all kinds of trouble. As she makes friends, attends classes, and competes in school with Jinx by her side, she uncovers some unseemly plots at the school and within the MONCHA corporation as well. Will she be able to keep her spot in school, her new friends, and her incredible baku Jinx?

The plot of the talented but unappreciated and disrespected school girl trying to build a better life for her and her mother grabbed me from the very beginning and kept me hooked to the very end. In fact, I had to immediately check out the sequel, Unleashed, and keep reading the Jinx saga. I highly recommend the story, and also recommend the sequel. Unleashed reflects upon the heightened anxiety and depression in today’s world from our addiction to technology and social media and makes the reader consider what is more important — happiness or reality. The Jinxed book series is a great read for any student grade 3-8 who is passionate about coding and robotics, as well as anyone who loves to cheer for the underdog.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the Emperor Academy series by Trudi Strain Trueit, the Tristan Strong series by Kwame Mbaliaor The Last Shadow Warrior by Sam Subity.)

 

( official Amy McCulloch web site )

 

Recommended by Cindy K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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