Felix Yz

by Lisa Bunker Narrated by Michael Crouch, Tara Sands, Erin Spencer

Overview

“If it wasn't for the fused-with-Zyx thing, I suppose I would just be normal-whatever that means.”
*
When Felix Yz was three years old, a hyperintelligent fourth-dimensional being became fused inside him after one of his father's science experiments went terribly wrong. The creature is friendly, but Felix-now thirteen-won't be able to grow to adulthood while they're still melded together. So a risky Procedure is planned to separate them . . . but it may end up killing them both instead.
*
This book is Felix's secret blog, a chronicle of the days leading up to the Procedure. Some days it's business as usual-time with his close-knit family, run-ins with a bully at school, anxiety about his crush. But life becomes more out of the ordinary with the arrival of an Estonian chess Grandmaster, the revelation of family secrets, and a train-hopping journey. When it all might be over in a few days, what matters most?
*
Told in an unforgettable voice full of heart and humor, Felix Yz is a groundbreaking story about how we are all separate, but all connected too.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

An NPR Best Book of 2017
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017
A VOYA Top Shelf pick for 2017
An ALA 2018 Rainbow List Top Ten pick

★ "Acutely perceptive, disarmingly witty, devastatingly honest, and utterly captivating. Joyful, heartbreaking, completely bonkers, and exuberantly alive." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Captivating . . . Felix's story is a love letter to anyone who feels out of place and a testament to the beauty of being 'different.'" —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Lisa Bunker's clever science fiction debut is heartwarming and witty. Felix's looming high-stakes procedure creates a sense of suspense, while the push and pull between Felix and his alien guest incubates humor, compassion and ingenuity . . . The marvelously diverse cast of Felix Yz is certain to charm audiences and leave them eagerly anticipating what Bunker will deliver next.” –Shelf Awareness, starred review

★ "[A] charming, engaging, humorous, and heartrending tale of self-awareness and coming of age." —School Library Journal, starred review of the audiobook

“If you think a boy with an alien inside of him doesn’t have a whole lot to teach you about life and love and the ways we are connected to each other, then you’ve never met Felix Yz. Felix would be wholly original even if he didn’t have an alien inside of him—which is part of the beauty and awe of this book. Between Felix and Zyx and family secrets and chess and that fated first crush feeling, Lisa Bunker shows us all the subtle ways we are connected and what it means to risk everything, just by being ourselves.” —Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, author of the Morris Award finalist The Smell of Other People’s Houses

"A one-of-a-kind story . . . Like the sweet older brother of middle grade series such as “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Dork Diaries,” this title, with its combination of light sci-fi and relatable stakes, should appeal to younger teens." —School Library Journal

"An original take on classic themes of family acceptance and middle-grade love. There are plenty of laughs to be had in this lovable debut. Bunker is an author to watch." —Booklist

“In this highly original, beautifully crafted debut, the characters are each unique, yet present with a next-door neighbor quality with which readers will relate, despite the differences they may bring to their reading . . . Perfectly paced and thoroughly engaging, this novel bestows upon the reader a brilliant opportunity to reflect upon issues of identity and trust; to contemplate Zyx’s otherworldly joy of living; and to marvel at the universality of emotion.” —VOYA

"A sweet and thoughtful story of bravery and becoming.” —The San Francisco Chronicle

"The palpable vulnerability with which Felix describes his fears is powerful, and readers will likely be rooting for him to survive the separation and have a chance to thrive as just Felix. Sci-fi fans who also appreciate realistic fiction will find this perfectly straddles the contemplative tone of an introspective teen with the futuristic view of a contemporary world." —BCCB

"The novel’s premise allows for fascinating reflections on . . . ways of feeling different, and debut author Bunker inventively pulls it off." —The Horn Book

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2017-03-06
A freak scientific accident leaves an ordinary Maine boy atomically bonded to a fourth-dimensional being in this debut middle-grade novel."If it wasn't for the fused-with-Zyx-thing, I suppose I would just be normal—whatever that means," writes Felix Yz in his "secret blog," first published by Bunker as online interactive fiction. Counting down the days until an experimental Procedure might free him (possibly fatally) from the alien bond that has made movement and speech painfully difficult for 10 years, the white eighth-grader chronicles the quirks of his loving family, his passion for drawing and writing, his run-ins with bullies, and his awkward crush on another boy at school. Meanwhile Zyx (typing through Felix's fingers) provides running commentary as something of a "wise fool" archetype, dispensing gnomic truths and mystical insight with the eager charm of a hyperintelligent puppy. But the outré premise is only the setup for this unique, whimsical tale; it's also about webcomics and chess and geometry and jazz and the astonishing "threeness of things." It's about the suffocating terror of death and the sweet agony of first love. It's about transcending binaries, both the obvious—Felix's mother is bisexual, his grandparent gender-fluid, the boy of his dreams both biracial (black/white) and bilingual—and those more subtle and profound, all in the most gloriously matter-of-fact way. Above all, it's about Felix's voice: acutely perceptive, disarmingly witty, devastatingly honest, and utterly captivating. Joyful, heartbreaking, completely bonkers, and exuberantly alive. (Science fiction. 10-adult)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172080838
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	06/06/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

Read an Excerpt

29 Days to Go
(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "Felix Yz"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Lisa Bunker.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Videos