The planet, the portal, and a pizza

Chaotic mad-scientist energy abounds in this unwieldy time-and-space-bending tale about changing friendships and yearning to belong by Baskin (Consider the Octopus) and Mass (The Lost Library). Though Piper's renowned clockmaker parents rarely leave their Rockdale basement lab, and Piper's only friend is the family pet--a talking robot dog named Roody--the math-loving 12-year-old's biggest concern is winning the school robotics competition. That is, until she stumbles across a book filled with puzzling equations that only she can see, and her parents at the same time become trapped in a force field surrounding their house. Meanwhile, sixth grade BFFs Raisa and Lev live undisturbed in an alternate, sci-fi-infused Rockdale until Raisa transports herself and Lev into Piper's world using a strange rectangular device from Raisa's mother's lab. Upon losing the transporter, the besties embark on a frantic search for the object; simultaneously, Piper struggles to free her parents and unravel the mystery of the strange book. Bustling alternating third-person perspectives follow the freewheeling antics and near misses along the white-cued tweens' parallel journeys until converging mysteries force them to cross paths in a somewhat befuddling yet gratifying climax. Ages 8--12. Agents: (for Baskin) Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary; (for Mass) Holly Frederick, Curtis Brown. (Oct.)

Mass and Baskin collaborate for a fast-paced science-fiction romp. Piper lives in Rockdale with her clockmaker parents and one-of-a-kind robot dog named Roody. Raisa lives in Rockdale with her scientist parents and has a best friend named Lev. But even though both girls' Rockdales have a pizza parlor named Toozy Patza, in other ways they're very different. Superficially, Piper's home will strike readers as a generically charming small town distinguished only by its plethora of rocks. In Raisa's version, however, her mom works at the Academy for the Study of Kinetics, the kids slurp zylon freeze pops, and commercial transactions are facilitated by biometric authenticators. When Raisa and Lev use Raisa's mom's multiverse-travel device, which has never been tested on humans, they find themselves trapped in Piper's Rockdale. Meanwhile, Piper realizes that her parents are confined by a weird force field surrounding their house, one that doesn't affect Piper. The perspective switches between Piper and Raisa in one- or two-chapter hops, keeping readers engaged as they join the characters in puzzling out exactly how both universes might be set to rights. While both the premise and story structure bear similarities to Erin Entrada Kelly'sThe First State of Being, lovers of the 2025 Newbery Award winner will find that this effort lacks that work's thoughtfulness in both concept and character development. If they keep their reading on the surface, they will likely find it fun enough. Characters largely present white. Doesn't shake the multiverse.(Science fiction. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.