The Jamie Drake Equation

April 1, 2018

Gr 4-7-Jamie used to think his biggest problem was missing his dad, an astronaut. Then Jamie discovers a secret science lab on the top of a hill and downloads a mysterious alien intelligence onto his phone. Now he's drawing amazing portraits of an alien homeworld and writing out super long equations-and he wasn't even good at math before! But things go from strange to worrying and very soon, Jamie has to save his dad and his family. This book touches on some interesting math topics that will thrill some and confuse others. The real-life social issues that are tackled, such as divorce, are approached in believable and satisfying ways. There is even a small section in the back that answers questions on aliens contact. VERDICT A fine purchase for beginner sci-fi readers or any child interested in aliens and space flight.-Kathryn Kania, Pelham Public Library, NH

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2018
Sixth-grader Jamie Drake has an alien on his cellphone and his parents are splitting up. What more could go wrong? This middle-grade science-fiction title, first published in England, is reminiscent of the most engaging early Heinlein stories in which realistic boys face traditional problems in a futuristic setting. Here, Jamie's father, an astronaut on the International Space Station, is preparing to launch a series of probes to Tau Ceti, a nearby star system known to have orbiting planets in the habitable zone (true fact). Jamie, however, has complicated feelings about his famous father, gracefully expressed in Jamie's candid narration. He's proud, of course, to have the world focused on his father's actions--there's even a video interview at an all-school assembly--but he'd also rather have him home in England for his birthday and to patch up the growing rift in his family. Then the unhappy boy happens upon an astronomer who's hacked into the Hubble Telescope for her own search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Attempting to charge his phone on her computer, Jamie accidentally intercepts a transmission and captures the Hi'ive. Then there's a solar flare. His father may be stranded in space. Jamie's emotions are totally accessible even though his circumstances fall significantly outside the norm. The book assumes a white default.With solid science and believable family conflicts, this will be very satisfying to readers whose wishful thinking can suspend disbelief. (Science fiction. 8-12)

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June 25, 2018
Featuring an intriguing premise, this novel by Edge (The Many Worlds of Albie Bright) nimbly intertwines science, math, and fiction. Jamie Drake’s father, a British astronaut commanding the International Space Station, is on an unprecedented mission to launch an array of tiny, laser-propelled “nano-spacecraft” into the stars to search for alien life. Days before his father’s space walk, Jamie ventures into a seemingly abandoned observatory. There, he discovers an eccentric astronomer who is combing the galaxy for alien signals, drawing inspiration from American astrophysicist Frank Drake’s 1960s algebraic equation that estimates the number of possible intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way. Fiction entertainingly edges out science as Jamie gets pulled into the space fray after downloading a message from an alien in distress. Jamie is catapulted to stardom as he sets off to rescue both his alien buddy and his stranded father in a fantastical finale. Back matter explaining scientists’ real-life search for extraterrestrial intelligence brings readers back to earth—and leaves them wondering, “What if...?” Ages 9–12.

April 1, 2018
Grades 4-6 Jamie misses his father, an astronaut orbiting Earth in the International Space Station, and looks forward to the moment when Dad will release a swarm of tiny, light-powered space probes to search for alien life. Meanwhile, the sixth-grader's exploration of an old observatory leads to his own contact with an alien he calls Buzz, who helps him in unexpected ways. Overhearing that his parents are planning a divorce, Jamie is shocked and angry. But when a solar storm damages the ISS, he wonders, can Buzz help save his father? Within Jamie's spheres at home, at school, and at the observatory, Edge creates a number of well-drawn primary and secondary characters, including Buzz, a complex collective being. An intriguing appended section discusses the novel's scientific background, including the Fibonacci sequence, the Drake equation estimating the number of alien civilizations, scientists' attempts to find them, and the challenges of making contact. Jamie's first-person narrative will draw readers into the story and surprise them with twists along the way as its space-age realism bends toward science fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)