For the Love of Gelo

August 15, 2014
Throw your thol'graz in the air: Chorkle and its human friends return to continue their adventures (Space Rocks, 2014). The ancient weapon Q-sik saved Gelo, Chorkle's asteroid home, from the Vorem Dominion's attack; unfortunately it also flung Gelo, its Xotonian inhabitants and their four human guests into an unknown corner of the universe. When Kalac, Chorkle's originator ("parent," in human terms) and the leader of the Xotonians, vanishes on nearby Kyral, Chorkle, Hollins, Nicki, Becky and Little Gus defy the opportunistic Sheln, who's trying to steal Kalac's position, to mount a rescue mission. The Aeaki, Kyral's hostile, birdlike inhabitants, don't know how to use their forbears' technology any better than the Xotonians do theirs, so they aren't any help in the search for Kalac...but a sullen Vorem teenager might be. O'Donnell's continuation of Chorkle's story is as much fun as its predecessor. Humorous linguistic and cultural clashes, well-built Everykid characters with realistically rocky relationships, and a logically constructed universe-not to mention action and a couple of surprises-fill out this solid sequel. Reading the first is highly recommended. Jalasu Jhuk be praised! Another sequel is on the way, given the wide-open (but still satisfying) ending. (Science fiction. 9-12)

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September 1, 2014

Gr 4-6- Space Rocks! (Penguin, 2014) opened with a neat inversion of the classic sci-fi set-up: the humans are the interloping aliens on the home turf of our narrator, a Xotonian named Chorkle. Although many Xotonians weren't sure what to make of these funny beings (with only two eyes!), they came to trust the four human children stranded on their planet-golden boy Hollins, very different identical twins Nikki and Becky, and clumsy but steadfast Little Gus-when they helped defend them from red-eyed bad guys, the Vorem. This second installment picks up three months after the Vorem's defeat, with the four children still stranded on the Xotonian asteroid, eating fried slugs, playing video games, and bickering. A new adventure comes along when a mission to a neighboring planet goes awry and Chorkle and his humans decide it's up to them to figure out what happened and save his "originator." All of these alien names may sound confusing, but O'Donnell's smooth pacing and quick wit will pull readers in and keep them turning pages. He uses the interaction of different species as an allegory for raising issues around tolerance and acceptance, but it's all done with such a light touch that it never bogs down the narrative. Recommend this one to readers who like their adventure stories cut with humor and watch it fly off the shelf faster than Chorkle can eat a Feeney's Original Astronaut Ice Cream.-Gesse Stark-Smith, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
Grades 4-7 A few months after Space Rocks! (2014), an explosion drains Gelo's power supply and disables its stealth shield. Lead by Chorkle's originator (parent), a mission to the planet Kyral takes off to find aid. However, a prolonged silence from the mission crew prompts Chorkle to launch his own rescue mission with the help of his three human friends. On Kyral, civilization is not nearly as friendly as Chorkle expects, and a hostile stowaway only complicates matters. Witty writing and engaging character dynamics balance the story's action-based plot, which will have readers cheering for (and against) various aliens as another epic battle unfolds.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)