The Land of Cars (Karmopolis #1)

Two tweens become embroiled in a silly, high-octane mystery that takes them across Karmopolis, a world in which everything—including houses and malls—is on wheels. Siblings Pooja and Om, portrayed with brown skin, are on an excursion at the multistory super-mall when they stumble upon an old-fashioned crane game. After Pooja liberates an egglike object from the machine, the brother-sister duo is targeted by a pair of mysterious, suit-wearing men on Segways. The men give chase, pursuing the siblings throughout the mall in a series of panels with Tom and Jerry energy—until Pooja and Om find themselves stranded on the highway meridian. Though they manage to evade their pursuers, the now motorless youths are forced to accept help from the enigmatic Walkers, people who gave up driving to build a walkable underground city. Bertozzi (Bomb) combines retro animation and comic-strip aesthetics with inventive, futuristic twists rendered in bold, saturated color palettes. Subtle yet thought-provoking messaging explores decisions about staying in one’s lane or veering off the beaten path in a relentlessly paced, dynamic jaunt depicting life in perpetual motion. Ages 9–12. (July)