December 15, 2014
Space travel is common in the year 2156, but Jonah is still shocked to wake up aboard the Fantastic Flying Squirrel, a spaceship piloted by dangerous pirates and home to the Incredible Space Raiders, a band of children fighting extraterrestrial EETs (Entirely Evil Things). Jonah, a shy boy with few friends back home, is unsure why he was chosen to join the ISR, but he begins training and tries to fit in. The more Jonah learns about the ISR, however, the more he senses that something isn’t quite right, starting with the fact that his fellow raiders are all orphans. When the other children discover that Jonah has parents, they resent him and soon everyone is wondering whether he truly belongs on the mission. King (The Vindico) weaves action, suspense, and mystery into a well-crafted coming-of-age story. Readers will relate to Jonah as he struggles to define himself in an unfamiliar setting, while questions about the true plan for the kids aboard the Flying Squirrel will keep them turning pages. Ages 8–12. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House.
November 15, 2014
Jonah Hillcrest is not exactly a Marty Stu.In Internet fan fiction, a "Mary Sue" (Marty Stu when it's a guy) is a character who's impossibly kind, skillful and heroic, and is instantly beloved by everyone in the story. Jonah is not beloved. He's kidnapped against his will to join the Space Raiders and, within a few chapters, accused of being a spy and a thief. The other kids avoid him. But by the end of the book, he's won so many impossible victories he's being called "the best Space Raider in history." While Jonah's fighting skills sometimes defy belief, his wins are always satisfying, and readers may even have an urge to stand up and cheer. Here's another term from the Internet: "infodump." That's a gigantic block of plot exposition. The climax of the book is one enormous infodump in the form of a lengthy tribunal. But the testimony has so many genuine surprises that it becomes sort of thrilling. And despite its flaws, the novel is full of exciting chases and clever battle strategies. If readers wanted to describe this book in Internet terms, they would be emoticons: wide-eyed surprise, tears at a few late revelations and many smiley faces at the end. (Science fiction. 8-12)
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July 1, 2015
Tween loner Jonah is shocked to wake up on a spaceship as the Incredible Space Raiders' newest recruit. As they approach the Dark Zone, Jonah suspects that he and his new friends have not been told the entire truth about their mission--so he decides to investigate. Beneath its humorous surface, this compelling space adventure packs a solid emotional punch.
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