Member Reviews

This was an extremely creative introduction to this series and I'm excited to recommend it to my students, as well as see what happens next!

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I feel like this middle grade steampunk story may have been a stronger story and easier to get into if told from a different POV. I thought the narrator, who immediately reminded me of the narrator in Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, would have been more captivating and had the same effect. However, I didn't find this to be the case. It didn't immediately grab me—it took me a bit to get into the story. I also felt that there was great potential that was never quite reached in terms of worldbuilding. It felt that the descriptions of the setting we found the group of friends in was never quite fully realized, and could have been more convincing to keep the reader engaged in the action.

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

Though this didn't resonate with me, I think this book will still find an audience. It's reminiscent of the Thief Lord, and others of that ilk, and think it will be a great recommendation for kids looking for more like that.

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Middle-grade books about orphans who have a hidden, secret history or lineage are ten-a-penny so it takes something special to stand out. After reading the premise to Children of the Flying City by Jason Sheehan, Scott was intrigued to see if the author could elevate this book above the multitude of orphan-child-who-is-more-than-they-seem stories out there.

Milo Quick was brought to the flying city of Highgate when he was five years old and sold into slavery. After numerous escape attempts from various owners, 13-year-old Milo leads a gang of street urchins of various ages alongside his best friends, Jules and Dagda; trying to survive using the wit, speed, and skills Milo has learned the hard way over the years. One day, a mysterious airship Captain comes to Highgate looking for Milo to collect a significant bounty on the boy’s head. However, this is not the only unsavory character looking for Milo Quick. All this is set against the backdrop of an airship armada blockading Highgate with the increasing threat of attack and war hanging over the city, all because of a centuries-old secret that the massed forces must have at any cost.

Children of the Flying City is a fast-paced adventure romp that rarely lets up. Clues and hints to the overall plot and big secret are drip-fed throughout but not all is what it seems as the author drops in twists and deceptions to keep the reader guessing and frequently surprised. Jason Sheehan paints a stark, gritty picture of the life Milo and his gang lives—danger, hunger, and starvation are ever-present—within a crumbling city that is far past its glory days. Indeed, much like the author/narrator warnings given in A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sheehan tells the reader several times that things will not turn out well and warns you to stop reading if you would rather believe the story ends happily. And he’s not wrong. Scott was surprised at several points by the cruel and blunt actions of some characters toward others, which is not to say they are graphic or inappropriate, although perhaps unexpected by a younger audience used to stories where everything turns out alright in the end for all the children. This is definitely not the case here and the author’s warnings are valid.

There are a lot of characters to follow but Sheehan manages to give enough backstory and character to each to make them interesting and compelling within the story. Whether you root for certain characters or pantomime hiss and jeer at them will be down to personal preference, but by the end, not everyone has the history or motivation you may think at first.

Children of the Flying City is an exciting, high-energy, and gritty book that pulls no punches and has enough within the plot, characters, and richly crafted and imaginative setting to raise its head above other similar novels. With an inevitable cliff-hanger ending, most readers will be eager for the next installment to come along soon. Scott certainly is.

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This was an interesting graphic novel. There were times that the narrator was amazing and the prose gorgeous. But there were other times that the narrator was obnoxious. In certain parts, it was hard to keep the characters straight. I really hated that they kept saying "the boy". Why not just use his name?? It would have been so much clearer who was being spoken about. The artwork was very visually intriguing and I really enjoyed how the book looked. Overall, I still have unanswered questions so I would be curious to try out the next volume and see if things are improved.

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My Thoughts:
This action packed first book reads like a Lemony Snicket story in that the narrator speaks directly to the reader. He warns us, in fact that things will go wrong and we should stop reading, which of course, forces me to read on. It also quickly pulls readers into the street life of a band of orphans banding together to steal enough to eat and pay tithe to the boy "Total King."

Milo Quick, the leader of his group was brought to Highgate when he was five. Although not quite 13, he is responsible for a family of children, including Dagda, also called Mouse, a "12-year old girl" who unbeknownst to the crew has been 12 for hundreds of years, and his backup "man" Jules. What he doesn't know is that ever since he arrived in Highgate, there have been powerful men paying The Sandman to both let Milo Quick grow up to be a boy on the streets as well as protect his life should harm come to him. This story is comfortably familiar like Oliver Twist meets Blade Runner.

When we enter the flying city, war is coming in the form of an Armada just outside the gates. These orphans, though, canʻt be bothered by grown up problems. They are just trying to survive. When Milo Quick is called to show up in the court of the Total King, he finds out that the captain of a flying mail ship has just snuck in and revealed Miloʻs real name. They have orders to take him alive so to stay hidden, the Total King wants Milo and his gang to provide more tithing from their spoils. This starts the series of "unfortunate events" for these groups. Not everyone survives and the story does not end with this book, but it is a fantastic ride: emotional, gripping, sweet and horrifying. Keep reading.

From the Publisher:
Brought to the flying city of Highgate when he was only five years old, orphan Milo Quick has never known another home. Now almost thirteen, Milo survives one daredevil grift at a time, relying only on his wit, speed, and best friends Jules and Dagda.

A massive armada has surrounded Highgate’s crumbling armaments. Because behind locked doors—in opulent parlors and pneumatic forests and a master toymaker’s workshop—the once-great flying city protects a powerful secret, hidden away for centuries. A secret that’s about to ignite a war. One small airship, the Halcyon, has slipped through the ominous blockade on a mission to collect Milo—and the rich bounty on his head—before the fighting begins. But the members of the Halcyon’s misfit crew aren’t the only ones chasing Milo Quick.

True friendship is worth any risk in this clever, heart-racing adventure from award-winning author and journalist Jason Sheehan. Sheehan weaves together wry narration and multiple points of view to craft a richly imagined tale that is dangerous and surprising, wondrous and joyful.

Author: Jason Sheehan

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers

Publication date: March 15, 2022

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Children of the Flying City is a mysterious sci-if novel, the first in a soon to be series. Main character, Milo, was sold by his father at a young age.
The main portion of the book is when Milo is much older and is basically on his own (with his close friends).
Unknown secrets and action-packed mystery occurs and will leave you wanting to read more.

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3.5 Stars

Children of the Flying City has the makings of a promising new series, but it’s not without flaws.

First and foremost is Jason Sheehan’s prose, which takes some getting used to. The book is told by a narrator of sorts, who tends to ramble on in places and continually shifts points of view. Honestly, the points of view are easier to grasp than the rambling sort of way the story plays out. It appears the omniscient narration is supposed to lighten the story with some tongue-in-cheek commentary, but it often gets in the way.

Speaking of lightening the story, press materials call the novel “a richly imagined tale that is dangerous and surprising, wondrous and joyful.” Wondrous and joyful are not the words I would use to describe it. Children of the Flying City is dark, gritty and intense. There are moments of awe and delight, but they are few and far between.

A book doesn’t have to be all unicorns and puppies to be good, though. And those moments of brightness stand out more against the stark backdrop. The world that Sheehan has created has a dystopian/sci-fi/almost-steampunk feel to it. And while I did struggle to gain a full sense of that world, I did find the characters engaging and well-developed with room for growth.

Children of the Flying City is the first book in a planned series, and as you finish it, you get a real sense that Sheehan has left out a lot of information on purpose. It remains to be seen if he fills in those holes in later books. I hope he does, because there’s potential for so much more.

In the end, the mark of a good book is wanting to read more, and I left Children of the Flying City wanting to read its sequel. The publisher’s suggested age range is 10 and up, but because of the violence, I’d put it at a mature 11 and older.

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Set in the mysterious city of Highgate, Children of the Flying City follows the tale of Milo Quick and his friends, orphans under the rulership of the iron-fisted Total King. While Milo and friends must bring tithes to the king to survive, Milo must dodge the searching eyes of the crew of the Halcyon, who search for him for unknown reasons.

Milo, Jules, and Dagda are such interesting and intriguing characters. They really jumped off the page with their wit and wisdom, and I found myself wanting to know more about Dagda than the rest of the characters. While the boys ignored her, Dagda seemed drifting in her own world, separated from the rest of the cast. It made me gravitate toward her, and I kind of started wishing that she were the main character instead of Milo. Not that Milo himself isn’t interesting. While things don’t seem to follow a set direction throughout the first half of the book, secrets of Milo’s past are slowly unwound, bringing the random elements together into one surprising ending.

While I really want to say that I loved this book, and that it was breathtaking and interesting all at the same time, I can’t. There were moments where the prose was gorgeous and the story itself heartbreaking, but there was just something about it that couldn’t hold my attention for very long. I feel that part of the reason is the pacing. The amount of detail that Sheehan puts in his story slowed the pace significantly. While it was nice reading about the many heists that the children pulled and the crooked tea parties and really seeing just how despondent they were, it also made things lag a little, especially in the beginning.

When things do pick up, pace-wise, the story takes a turn toward being a little dark. As someone with young siblings, I like to read middle grade fiction to find something they might be interested in. Unfortunately, Children of the Flying City would be a little too dark for them. There’s quite a bit of violence described, like one of the characters losing a few fingers due to an accident. If you’re sure that this wouldn’t bother your young readers, then I’m sure they’d enjoy the story either way, but if you have sensitive readers like my sisters, then that’s something to look out for.

The only major downside I can think of in this book is that there isn’t much described indicating that the city is floating, other than the airships. I was looking forward to descriptions of maybe some catwalks suspended beneath the city, or fog created by flying through clouds, or some other indication, but with the way things were, the city may as well have been on the ground.

Overall, Children of the Flying City gets an 8/10 from me for its wonderful prose and style and unique worldbuilding. It is a somewhat sad tale of children making their way in a world that’s left them behind, perfect for young readers who enjoy a story with mystery, action, suspense, and just a little realism to balance it out.

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