Teleportation and Other Luxuries

Gr 8 Up–The Blamazon Teen Scientist Competition, a six-week challenge to create a lucrative invention for the dubious corporation, promises college scholarships for the winning team in exchange for full rights over their design. Four teens make up the Implausible Visionaries, a team determined to create a teleportation device despite the odds. There’s privileged Ty, who is more interested in his social media presence than science; Kansas native L.J., whose diverse skills come from solving problems in his hometown; shy Allegra, who prefers outer space to people; and outspoken Gabby, who’s only participating in the hopes of curing their sister’s illness. When the team miraculously develops a functional teleportation device with a fatal flaw, they have to decide if the thrill of winning justifies how the corrupt Blamazon Corporation might use their imperfect invention. The engaging, colorful artwork, combined with the teens’ budding friendships and well-developed back stories, brings heart and humor to this graphic novel. With frank discussions of corporate greed, the misuse of science, and abusive family relationships, Bongiovanni and Verhoeven's collaboration thoughtfully explores heavy topics while remaining hopeful. Characters are racially diverse, and the story includes nuanced queer and trans representation.