Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy

December 21, 2018

Gr 4-7-The good news: Jack's science teacher dad has discovered how to travel at light speed. The bad news: he's fired before he can get rich on his new technology. He secretly installs it aboard PSS 118 before being escorted off, leaving Jack to endure the scorn and bullying that come with having a disgraced father. But when the ship is attacked, this semi-sentient technology kicks in, and suddenly Jack, his best friend Ari, and his nemesis Becka have hurtled 400 light years away and find themselves face-to-face with an evil galactic overlord. Chases, alien mall scenes, and daring rescues abound. Sci-fi tropes are everywhere in this story: time travel, aliens, time travel with aliens! Jack is a funny, nerdy seventh grader, and there's even some character growth as he learns to trust others and realizes he doesn't always have to be the boss. Be warned: there's an obvious trail of bread crumbs leading to a sequel. VERDICT A perfect bridge for readers looking for a Percy Jackson-esque work of science fiction.-Elizabeth Friend, Wester Middle School, TX

January 1, 2019
When extraterrestrials impound a spaceship full of students and teachers 400 light-years from Earth, it's up to Jack and his buddies to get them all back home.Life on Public School Ship 118 has been hard for Jack ever since his science-teacher father was fired and kicked off, leaving him alone and outcast. It gets dramatically worse when the ship comes under attack. In the chaos, Jack's father texts him via communicator ring with directions to save the school--but implementing them strands the entire ship in Elvidian space, where they are swiftly imprisoned. While the Earth kids are forced to attend Elvidian school and wear Elvidian contact lenses, Jack discovers that his father had been fired for tinkering with the P.S.S. 118, illicitly equipping it with the means to get them home--if only they can figure out how to get all of them back on the ship. Fortunately, the Elvidians seem to be a touch hypochondriacal and do not recognize Earth diseases....Levy's novel, festooned with futuristic tech, is aimed at action-oriented readers, but too much telling rather than showing, especially initially, may turn them off prematurely. Repetitive details such as frequent references to Jack's dad's firing further bog the plot down. Jack presents white on the cover; Ari, who is Jewish, is depicted with brown skin; and Becka has light skin and long, dark hair.Younger, less-sophisticated sci-fi fans who can get past the backstory-filled opening might find this just the ticket. (Science fiction. 9-13)

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January 1, 2019
Grades 4-7 Seventh-grade buddies Jack and Ari, along with the class bully T-Bex (Becka), are all that stand between their space-station school (P.S.S. 118) and the galaxy-controlling Elvidian Minister's brand of punishment for Jack's dad's tinkering with forbidden science. What was supposed to be the last day of seventh grade turns into the first day of saving the world. Reminiscent of writing by Chris Grabenstein, this middle-grade action-adventure space opera is just plain fun. Sassy ship computers, mean lunch-lady robots, a suitably authoritarian villain, and the freedom to roam the universe to save their families make this a story that will appeal to a broad range of readers and there are hints of age-appropriate romance (spoiler alert, Ari has a crush on Becka) thrown in for good measure. There's plenty of STEM material as the kids must acquire fuel, repair the lightspeed engines, and escape the pull of planets. Levy's energetic debut will especially appeal to fans of Monica Tesler's Bounders series, David Liss' Randoms (2015), and Adam Rex's Smek books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)