Dark Energy

December 7, 2015
Wells (Blackout) has a misfire with this inconsistent tale, which opens after an enormous starship crashes in Iowa and skids hundreds of miles north. Seventeen-year-old Alice Goodwin relocates from Florida to Minnesota when her father, an important NASA official, is assigned to investigate the UFO. The thousands of surviving aliens, who look entirely human, are housed in a shantytown near the ship but, in an effort at interstellar communication, two alien teenagers are enrolled in Alice’s new boarding school, with one of them assigned as her roommate. The novel begins on a somber note with at least 18,000 humans killed in the crash (on top of alien casualties) but quickly veers into lighter banter among Alice and her classmates. Smart, wisecracking Alice realizes that something isn’t quite right with the aliens’ story, and she’s proven right when the Masters, the real owners of the starship, appear. Wells’s Masters are nightmarish but cartoonishly incompetent, and while the novel doesn’t lack for action, neither does it find its footing as it swings uncomfortably between humorous and horrific. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger.

January 1, 2016
Wells is back with a new sci-fi adventure that comments on U.S. history. Half-Navajo Alice loves living in Florida, where every day is sunny and warm. She's totally unprepared to follow her white, widowed father to Minnesota's wind-swept snowfields. But when the first ship from outer space crash-lands, as NASA's director of special projects, her dad absolutely, positively has to be there--which means Alice has to be there as well. Enrolled in a nearby boarding school with very few other students of color, she watches with fascination as the ship finally opens to reveal aliens that look very much like humans. Encouraged by her father to befriend two of the shipwreck survivors, Alice and her roommates welcome them to school. It all seems relatively easy...until the rest of the fleet arrives and starts to hunt for her new friends. Suddenly, nothing is easy, nothing is the same, and nowhere is safe. Wells displays an awareness of the need for ethnic diversity in books for kids. Alice is conscious of the parallels between the aliens' landing and the arrival of white people in North America; her boyfriend is an Indian kid who's grown up in the United States. Alice's breezy narration and short chapters keep the pages flipping. A one-time resident of the Navajo Reservation, Wells discusses the challenges of writing about the First Nations in an author's note. A highly pertinent, engaging thriller. (Science fiction. 12-16)

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January 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-This week, 17-year-old Alice is being forced to move to Minnesota with her father, the Director of Special Projects for NASA. That's because last week a giant UFO crashed in the Midwest, killing tens of thousands of people before skidding to a stop outside of Minneapolis. The world is outraged at the loss of human life and terrified that whatever is inside the UFO has come to invade Earth. Surprisingly, the aliens from the ship look like humans, despite having pale skin and an unfamiliar language. Calling themselves the Guides, they seem to come in peace. In an effort to boost diplomatic relations, two of the teenage Guides are sent to a boarding school in Minnetonka, where they are predictably befriended by Alice and her brilliant math- and science-minded roommates. What follows is a fast-paced adventure, filled with action, mystery, and humor. A rushed ending is the only glaring flaw in an otherwise entertaining (if not always believable) plot. The novel's greatest strength lies in the perfectly timed wit of its young female narrator. The Guides' inability to understand Alice's sarcasm and idiomatic expressions makes for some hilarious conversations. But those same sarcastic discussions lead to poignant observations about humans, who, as Alice explains, don't always treat one another very well and are generally afraid of other people's differences. In the end, Wells proves that teenagers are smart and resourceful and that their unique perspective might just save the world. VERDICT Witty dialogue, plenty of action, and just a hint of romance make this a perfect selection for any teenage science-fiction fan.-Liz Overberg, Zionsville Community High School, IN

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2016
Grades 8-10 Aliens have landed. In Minnesota. And so has Alice Goodwin, since her father is the head of special projects at NASA. Instead of living it up in warm Miami, Alice has been transplanted to a coed boarding school in freezing Minnetonka while the world waits to see what the alien presence will mean for Earth. But Alice is less than impressed by the pale beings who come forth from the giant ship. When two of them come to live at her school, Alice and her new roommates and friends are in for quite a few surprises. And when Alice's father sets her up with the chance to explore the alien ship, she is sure it will be an adventure unlike anything she has ever experienced. Wells is a veteran author whose home turf is science fiction, and his fans will recognize and appreciate his style, while newcomers will welcome the humor and compulsive readability. Grab this, along with Wells' other novels, for any collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)