Juniper Mae: Knight of Tykotech City

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An action-packed sci-fi story for fans of Hilda and Amulet .

"The incandescent artwork equally embraces both verdant homespun and cool, clean technological aesthetics to give us a new magical girl for readers to follow...A plucky heroine, a cute sidekick, and a well-crafted story that will delight readers."
--School Library Journal

"Soh's radiant illustrations stand out with a combination of compellingly cute character designs and nifty mechanical touches, channeling Steven Universe vibes."
--Publishers Weekly

"Sarah Soh's stunning story follows guardian warriors, genius inventors, and cute critters in a moving tale about friendship."
--Aminder Dhaliwal, author of Woman World

"You are immediately hooked into Juniper's story and lose yourself in the exquisitely rendered landscapes, and delightfully charming characters."
--Chris Garbutt, co-creator of Netflix's We Lost Our Humans

" Juniper Mae strikes the perfect balance of adventure, relatability, and charm."
--Megan Nicole Dong, creator of Netflix's Centaurworld

"Heartwarming, action-packed and full of magical images."
-- Mark Griffiths, author of Space Lizards Stole My Brain!

"A beautiful book, crammed with breath-taking drawings and exciting adventures. Your jaw hits the floor in astonishment from the opening page."
--Gary Northfield, author of the Julius Zebra series

Tykotech City is a marvelous and peaceful place, filled with technology beyond anyone's wildest dreams. But as power cuts begin to plague the residents, and a sinister force infiltrates the city, the lives of the cityfolk are in terrible danger...​
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It falls to Juniper Mae, a tiny, brave inventor, obsessed with the legends of the Guardian Knights, to overcome her fears and save her city. Can she embody the bravery of the Guardian Knights and invent some cool gadgets to save Tykotech City in time?​

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Young inventor Juniper Mae lives in Tykotech City, a technological utopia surrounded by a foreboding forest and powered by an energy source called the Core. Unexplained Core interruptions have been plaguing the city; when a surge occurs while Juniper is out testing her latest invention--the Juni Jet, which resembles a jet pack--she crash-lands in the forest. To her surprise, instead of encountering the rumored terrible beasts feared by the city folk, she finds Albie, a tiny turtle-like creature known as a tama-tama, who accompanies her home. Albie also gifts her with an ancient artifact from the humans' and tama-tamas' shared past. Using the artifact and a new energy source derived from forest plants, Juniper determines to protect Tykotech and the forest from whatever is causing the power outages. Soh's radiant illustrations stand out with a combination of compellingly cute character designs and nifty mechanical touches, channeling Steven Universe vibes. Without being heavy-handed, Soh utilizes succinct dialogue and a loose, fast-paced plot to convey themes of synchronicity between nature and technology and of breaking down barriers and making friends, presenting a joyful read. Ages 7--9. (Mar.)

Booklist Review

Juniper Mae is an extremely talented young inventor living in the town of Tykotech. She spends her time tinkering with gadgets and daydreaming of the legendary Guardian Knights of lore, which once protected the town and the creatures in its surrounding forest from the many vicious monsters lurking in the shadows. Soh's cozy illustrations colored in warm tones do a wonderful job of immersing readers into the fantastical world of the story, in which a mystical power source for Tykotech goes on the fritz and the city's scientists don't know why. Juniper ventures out on her own and meets the friendly, frog-like tama-tama people--and, perhaps, the source of the problem. Can she make the right choice when presented with an alluring promise? Tykotech is a vibrantly detailed world populated by big-eyed, manga-inspired characters, which call to mind the animation style of Steven Universe or She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. The ambitious story lays lots of groundwork, and a cliff-hanger ending ensures that readers will be eager to pick up the next volume.

Kirkus Book Review

A girl's crash-landing leads to new friends and a new perspective along with the power to solve the problems confronting her city. When Juniper Mae's newest invention (a jet pack) leaves her stranded in the forest that surrounds Tykotech City, she is terrified to encounter the dangerous beasts rumored to live there. But a kind, froglike creature named Albie brings her to his village, and his fellow tama-tamas' method of energy production seems to be the perfect solution to the energy crisis facing Tykotech City. Juniper is inspired by Albie's people's tales of the Guardian Knights and, upon her return to the city, transforms herself into a modern-day version of the fabled Knights, protectors of all. Juniper's newfound belief in herself leads her to take on the problem of the city's failing energy supply. This incredibly adorable story's up-close panel work and expansive, double-page spreads depicting landscapes and action sequences make the relatively small world feel immersive and captivating, and the vivid color scheme includes many glowing elements that give a fun effect to the artwork. The quick, tidy mystery solved here is part of a larger network of problems that will clearly be addressed in future installments. Juniper and her family have pale skin and white hair; their world is a diverse one. A brief introduction to charming characters and a delightfully imaginative world. (Graphic novel. 7-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.