The Horn Book Guide

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Rivers, Karen

Naked Mole Rat Saves the World

296 pp. | Algonquin | October, 2019 | Trade ISBN 978-1-61620-724-3 $16.95

(2) 4-6 Kit and Clem's friendship starts to unravel when acrobat Clem suffers a serious injury while on a reality TV show. Kit's reaction to this news is to morph (involuntarily and temporarily) into a naked mole rat. The off-kilter action and widespread anxieties of this novel's world includes mental illness, alopecia, and a burglar wearing a Batman mask. The story is witty and stylish with ample quirky insights, but also breathless, with italic-studded dialogue amping up the pace.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019