Spill Zone Book 1

Starred review from May 8, 2017
After losing her parents to the Spill Zone, an inexplicable force that has possessed Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Addison assumes care of her younger sister, Lexa, who witnessed the spill. Although the area is quarantined, Addison frequently risks her life to sneak inside, using her camera to document the bizarre ways that reality has been warped within: the zombielike human “meat puppets” trapped inside, cats that seem to speak, unimaginable creatures, and defiance of the natural law around every corner. After an art dealer offers Addison a million dollars, she considers visiting the hospital her parents never left, even though it goes against the rules that have kept her alive. Westerfeld (Afterworlds) establishes several compelling mysteries in this series opener, and Puvilland captures the haunting surreality of the Spill Zone through an unearthly pastel/neon palette that oozes a sense of wrongness every moment Addison spends there. At times, Puviland’s jagged panels take on the feeling of snapshots, reflecting Addison’s work and lending a voyeuristic quality to the story as readers follow her. Fascinating and hard to forget. Ages 15–up. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

March 1, 2017
Taking photos of the dangers in the Spill Zone can be deadly, but it pays the bills.Three years ago something happened to Poughkeepsie, New York. Nanotech outbreak? Nuclear accident? Alien invasion? Trans-dimensional breach? Anyone who knows isn't saying. Most of the residents still exist, but they're "meat puppets," floating, glowing, and unresponsive. The rats might chase you, and the cats might sound like they're speaking, but there are also nightmare beasts on the prowl. Addison sneaks past checkpoints on her motorbike to take pictures and sell them on the black market to support herself and her younger sister, Lexa, who hasn't spoken since the spill. When a collector bypasses the tough-as-nails white teen's middleman and reveals he's been cheating her, Addison takes on a mission for the collector that will put her in extreme danger...but may pay enough to get her out of the game for good. Bestselling prose novelist Westerfield kicks off a graphic-novel series of dark sci-fi adventures set in the very near future and sets up an interesting milieu. Another spill in North Korea, Lexa's talking doll, and the effects of the spill on survivors are hinted at as the action progresses. Animator Puvilland's full-color illustrations are appropriately wild, jagged, and threatening. Readers will be demanding the next installment as they close this one. A necessary start, with intriguing hints at action and weirdness to come. (Graphic science fiction. 14-adult)

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Starred review from March 1, 2017

Gr 10 Up-It's a mystery why three years ago Poughkeepsie suddenly broke the boundaries of reality, giving life to demonic wolves and sentient twisters, or why its human inhabitants now hang suspended in the air like puppets. It wasn't aliens, it wasn't a nuclear attack, and the military isn't talking. That isn't Addison's mystery to solve; all she has to do is go into this quarantined area-the Spill Zone-and photograph the bizarre happenings. She sells the images to support herself and her sister, Lexa. But soon the woman buying the bulk of the photographs presents Addison with the opportunity to embark on a deadly mission inside the Spill Zone, with the reward of a cool million dollars should she succeed. Meanwhile, the North Korean government, which had its own Spill incident, wants to meet with Addison for their own ominous purposes. Then there's Lexa's rag doll, Vespertine, who whispers devious thoughts in Lexa's mind. Westerfeld and Puvilland have created an imaginative, nightmarish powerhouse, with hectic line work and loud, vivid colors. This first of a duology wisely moves at a slow pace, rather than immediately revealing the plot and backstory of this warped world. Ultimately, the characters are the most compelling part of the book. Addison is particularly complex: though she is sympathetic, her decisions are intentionally presented as morally questionable. Harsh profanity and violence make this a more appropriate choice for mature readers. This unnerving, gripping title-Westerfeld's first original graphic novel-is bound to entice older comics fans, especially those interested in darker sci-fi and nuanced characterization. VERDICT A must-have for teen and graphic novel collections.-Matisse Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2017
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* As he did in the YA favorite Uglies (2005), Westerfeld crafts a world drastically and subtly altered by an extranormal development, then rivetingly explores its practical and psychological consequences. The development in this case is something otherworldly that has spilled into a small town in upstate New York. Addison illegally penetrates the spill zone to photograph its disturbing effects on people, animals, and environment and sells the pictures as black-market art to support her little sister, an escapee from the spill zone but not, perhaps, from its effects. When Addison is approached with a shady deal to penetrate the zone more deeply than ever before, she will have to break every rule she's ever set to buy freedom for her sister and herself. Westerfeld handles the spooky business of the infected town magnificently, spiking the eerie and inexplicable with moments of genuine horror while always keeping the emotional tensions of his highly accessible teenage protagonist at the center. Puvilland provides rough, gritty visuals that deliver on the haunted world of the zone as well as the more realistic world of subterfuge and danger that Addison must navigate. The story breaks at a high-tension moment with plenty left to resolve in book two, but it is nevertheless a terrifically satisfying read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2017
This first entry in a creepy, addictively suspenseful graphic novel series makes for compulsive reading. Three years ago, something very strange happened in Poughkeepsie, New Yorkno one is certain exactly whatbut weird things happened in the city and weird things now populate it. Although the entire Spill Zone has been cordoned off, Addie continues to live just inside the checkpoint with her younger sister, Lexa (who doesn't speak, except to her doll Vespertine), after losing both parents in the Spill. Addie regularly and illegally rides through the Spill Zone on her motorcycle, photographing the bizarre things she witnesses and selling her pictures to a local art dealer. Then a wealthy collector (who, it turns out, has bought up all of Addie's photographs) makes her an offer she can't refuse: a million dollars for retrieving a single item from a building inside the Spill Zone. As Addie sets out on her mission, the local authorities discover that she is the rogue motorcyclist; the North Koreans (who are also interested in this item) begin to close in; and, worst of all, Vespertine becomes animated by the same evil presence that permeates the Spill Zone. Puvilland's dynamic panel layouts, striking use of unexpected colors, and sketchy line work serve the story well while conveying the unsettling mood of the piece. Westerfeld has set up his series with a provocative premise, and as the precise nature of the Spill Zone continues to be revealed, the stakes are sure to be raised accordingly in future volumes. jonathan hunt

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)