" The Nameless City makes you feel everything!" ―Bryan Konietzko, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender Dive into the action-packed trilogy by bestselling author Faith Erin Hicks. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and 5 Worlds ! Every nation that invades the City gives it a new name…until new invaders arrive and the City changes hands once again in an endless cycle. Like all the natives of her city, Rat doesn’t let herself get caught up in the unending wars. To her, home is simply called the Nameless City, and those who try to name it are forever outsiders. Kaidu is one such outsider. He's a Dao born and bred―a member of the latest occupying nation. And Rat hates Kai for everything he stands for except…he loves his new home almost as much as Rat does, bringing these two unlikely friends together. But can they stop the city from getting torn apart again? Gr 4–6—Rat and Kaidu meet on the streets of the Nameless City. They are from different worlds: Kaidu is from the Dao clan, the current occupiers of the city, and Rat is a girl living on the streets and struggling to survive under Dao rule. But they form a fast friendship traversing the city using parkourlike exploring. As they get to know each other, they delve into the secrets of the Nameless City's history and come to realize that the only chance the city might have to survive is through unity instead of endless conquest. Though this is a visually appealing, action-packed story from a talented graphic novel artist, the seemingly deliberate lack of any cultural context is distracting and problematic. The story seems to take place in a Chinese-inspired world featuring Chinese junk ships, Chinese-style clothes, and words such as Dao, Yisun, Liao, and Yanjing, yet there is no further evidence that the setting is indeed China or anywhere in Central Asia. This appropriation of disparate elements of Chinese culture comes across as opportunistic; the author's fictional world borrows specific cultural aspects and ignores others strictly for the purpose of storytelling. This makes for a hollow and unsatisfying read on place and culture, and it keeps readers at a distance. Even the name of the book hints at a historically fraught practice: the continued occupation of the city is cited as the reason it is "nameless." Readers will be left wondering which people first named the place. VERDICT The borrowing of vaguely Asian-influenced cultural markers without deeper engagement or authenticity is too troubling to overlook. Not recommended.—Angie Manfredi, Los Alamos County Library System, NM Included in School Library Journal's and Kirkus's "Best of 2016" list, and NYPL's "Notable 100 Best Books for Kids". "Faith Erin Hicks breathes life into her characters with gale-force winds. The Nameless City makes you feel everything its heroes are experiencing inside and out, from adolescent angst to the scrape of terra cotta tiles under a leaping boot." ―Bryan Konietzko, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender "Faith Erin Hicks is one of the best creators working in graphic novels today and The Nameless City is a fantastic introduction to an exciting new series. Looking forward to reading more!" ―Kazu Kibuishi, author of the Amulet series "This tale of unexpected alliances has everything: winning characters, a sumptuous setting, and sharp observations about power and history. Hidden depths abound in The Nameless City ." ―Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies and Zeroes "The beauty and construction of the Nameless City will leave you breathless. Faith has created a world so detailed and believable, it makes me want to explore the back alleys to see what is there." ―Jeff Smith, author of the Bone series "The artwork is breathtaking...lending each panel a richness that appropriately reflects a multifaceted culture." ― New York Times " The Divided Earth is an engrossing, briskly paced adventure in the tradition of a good-versus-evil quest...with a cast of likeable characters, a universal theme, and compelling artwork, the graphic novel will leave readers rooting for the heroes while sympathizing with villains....Fans of the series will clamor for Hicks’s next work." ―Voya, starred review "Hicks’s sequential artwork is polished, and though males hold nearly all the political power, the female characters are mighty warriors the men respect (and sometimes fear)." ― Publishers Weekly , starred review "Offer this winning graphic novel to fans of Fullmetal Alchemist and Avatar: The Last Airbender, who will appreciate its mix of fun and adventure and its exploration of questions of identity, belonging, and history. A superb beginning." ― Kirkus Reviews , starred review " With comprehensive worldbuilding, well-rounded characters, and entertaining action, this expertly executed story will find a home with a wide variety of readers." ― Booklist , starred review "Historical fiction fans will likely find this a gripping narrative about how people adapt t