Last Pick: Rise Up

by Jason Walz

Overview

Earth's last hope are also the last picked, in this thrilling conclusion of Jason Walz's dystopian graphic trilogy, Last Pick: Rise Up.

Wyatt is now the reluctant leader of the "last picked"—the disabled, the elderly, and those deemed too young to be useful for hard labor by their alien captors. But how can he and his ragtag allies take down an entire alien federation?

Meanwhile, Wyatt's twin sister Sam and her girlfriend Mia are creating chaos all over the galaxy in an attempt to rescue Sam's parents. But even if the family is reunited, can they stay alive long enough to see the end of the alien regime?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626728950
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Series:	Last Pick , #3
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	274,954
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jason Walz is a comic creator and teacher working in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Born in the south, he bounced around between Kentucky and Tennessee before working his way up north. He is best known for his debut graphic novel Homesick, which was nominated for a 2014 Eisner. He followed that up with the creation of an online comic series called Crap Shoot where he worked with some of today's biggest comic creators. A Story for Desmond is a bedtime story about loss and the gifts left behind by those who are gone.

Jason's three-book series called Last Pick pulls from his desire for his children to grow up reading about a diverse world full of young people exceeding the expectations others may place on them.

Editorial Reviews

"Walz’s series has been consistently fantastic, with its inclusive worldbuilding and electrifying pacing coupled with dazzling, cinematically styled art... An affecting and unforgettable SF series with heart." —Kirkus

From the Publisher

02/05/2021

Gr 4–8—Earth, in Walz's "Last Pick" universe, is a grim and dismal planet where humans viewed as useful were abducted while the "unworthy" (those under 16 and/or disabled) are left to toil under the oppressive rule of the Alien Federation. Originally deemed useless at the beginning of an alien invasion a few years ago (as depicted in the graphic novels Last Pick and Last Pick: Born To Run), twins Sam and Wyatt Erickson started a revolution. Sam, having turned 16, was taken by the aliens, while Wyatt, who appears to be on the autism spectrum, was left behind. Accompanied by an alien guide named Jackie and a human named Adiva, he travels intergalactically to plead with the aliens to free the humans. Wyatt and Sam's plan sparks a dangerous, high-stakes war. Wyatt not only uncovers a secret that might alter the entire universe but also sharpens his leadership abilities. This is an adventure-filled sci-fi novel that sensitively highlights the humanity and heroism of those whom society sees as marginalized or unimportant. The characters in this dystopian landscape simply exist in their identities, free of stereotypes, while acknowledging the challenges they face—Adiva, who is Muslim, describes the discrimination she faces. Sam is in a same-sex relationship; Wyatt's friend-turned-girlfriend is deaf. Sam and Wyatt are white, while Adiva is brown-skinned and wears a headscarf. A muted palette of green, browns, black, and grays, punctuated by pops of bright colors, helps convey mood and tone. VERDICT Walz brings his trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. A must for fans of the earlier installments.—Tamela Chambers, Chicago P.L.

School Library Journal

★ 2020-10-22
In this trilogy closer, a group of teens fights their final battle against intergalactic foes.

Picking up where Born To Run (2019) left off with its nail-biting cliffhanger, siblings Samantha and Wyatt Erickson are trying to find each other across vast galaxies. Sam and girlfriend Mia escape from an interstellar prison while Wyatt and friend Adiva fly across the cosmos to save them. Sam believes her parents are alive and presumes to have found the prison where inmates are forced to fight in an alien civil war. The maliciously evil extraterrestrial known as the Sheriff, now sick with a mutating virus, is in close pursuit of the Ericksons. As the tension ratchets up with a ferocious intensity, they face off for the ultimate battle, which both profoundly thrills and devastates with its bittersweet conclusion. Walz’s series has been consistently fantastic, with its inclusive worldbuilding and electrifying pacing coupled with dazzling, cinematically styled art. Throughout the series, the characters have explored what it means to be labeled “useless,” affirming the intrinsic value of those considered lesser for being different by small-minded bigots (in this case, virulent, war-hungry aliens). The team that saves the day encompasses a broad spectrum of identities: Sam, neurodiverse Wyatt, and Harper, Wyatt’s Deaf girlfriend, present White; Mia is cued as Latinx; and Adiva is a brown-skinned, hijabi Muslim girl from the U.S. South.

An affecting and unforgettable SF series with heart. (Graphic science fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews

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