The Prisoner of Shiverstone by Linette Moore - 9/10

Young Helga journeys to a mysterious island on a quest to free her grandfather, an infamous mad scientist, from his entrapment.

This book is fun and creative, exploring the ideas of curiosity and belonging amid a whimsical backdrop of superhero-esque scientific minds. I hope it's not giving too much away to say that this book avoids the cliche of "seemingly innocent but secretly sinister," instead affirming that good things can be misinterpreted by those who have been burned in the past, but that there are opportunities to learn to be open again.

*The ending felt a little compressed, but I think it was otherwise handled pretty well.