Archie Takes Flight

January 20, 2014
Mass (Pi in the Sky) and her husband Brawer kick off a lighthearted chapter book series introducing eight-year-old Archie Morningstar. It’s a Take Your Kid to Work Day like no other when Archie discovers that his father’s job as a taxi driver involves picking up fares all around the galaxy. “Top of the line,” brags Archie’s father after his cab sprouts wings and rockets into space. “It only clunks and groans to blend in with regular cabs on Earth.” Archie, it turns out, has inherited a talent as a “space map reader,” and he helps his father guide the cab through a wormhole to an alien world, where Archie meets a talking cat who’s a member of the Intergalactic Security Force and learns about a mysterious criminal organization known as BURP. The emphasis is on out-of-this-world fun, but Mass and Brawer give the Morningstar family a warm, jokey closeness, while also including scientific information (about gravity, wormholes, and exoplanets) that complements the action. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 7–12. Authors’ agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. Illustrator’s agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words.

March 1, 2014
Archie Morningstar has been waiting for "eight years, eight months, and eight days" to ride along with his taxicab-driving father. But when the night finally arrives, the experience proves to be out of this world. Archie had been looking forward to seeing more of the city, but his father is no ordinary cabbie. He drives a space taxi, with fares all over the known universe. Archie serves as his father's co-pilot for the night, helping him navigate wormholes, avoid asteroid fields and work the taxi's thrusters. But things get really interesting when Archie meets Intergalactic Security Force deputy Pilarbing Fangorius Catapolitus, aka Pockets, a talking space police cat who can shoot lasers out of his tail. Together, cat and boy take down a dangerous member of the evil organization BURP. Archie can hardly believe his luck when his father agrees not only to allow Pockets to live with them, but to take Archie on as his permanent co-pilot. Zany adventures, a wacky plot and plenty of slapstick humor make this a quick, enjoyable read. Simple illustrations and a trio of scientific definitions add to the narrative. A solid start to a new chapter-book series. (Adventure. 6-9)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 2-4-At eight years, eight months, and eight days old, Archie Morningstar is finally old enough to join his dad on the midnight taxi shift for "Take Your Kid to Work Day." When they blast out of orbit, it quickly becomes clear that his dad has an unusual job and that his vehicle is no ordinary taxi. Archie is now privy to the secret family business: driving aliens around the galaxy in a high-tech space vehicle. Displaying a special talent for reading an interactive space map, Archie becomes his dad's copilot, guiding them through wormholes and taking them to a distant planet to pick up their first fare. He soon finds himself helping a furry deputy of the Intergalactic Security Force apprehend an alien associated with B.U.R.P., the universe's biggest criminal organization. This series opener zips along at an energetic pace that will keep readers actively engaged. Plenty of humor and adventure make it a solid addition to early chapter-book collections, and the inclusion of science facts at the end adds an educational element. Grayscale cartoon illustrations open each chapter and are interspersed throughout the text; they have a childlike quality that complements young Archie's first-person narration. Readers will look to the stars for more interplanetary adventures to come.-Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2014
Grades 2-4 The first in the Space Taxi series for emergent readers, this sci-fi adventure introduces an engaging character, Archie Morningstar, and a talking cat sidekick who fights crime. When the action begins, Archie doesn't know about his father's secret identity as an intergalactic voyager who, well, pilots a space taxi. Soon Archie himself is being tested as a navigator who can expertly spot wormholes. When a fare turns out to be a wanted criminal, Archie and his dad make the acquaintance of a cat Archie nicknames Pockets in honor of his capacity to stow a tremendous amount of policing gear beneath his fur. In the end, Pockets agrees to come back to Earth with Archie so they can join forces in fighting an evil organization called BURP. The plotting never overdoes it, the surprises are gentle, and the humor is always on target for a young demographic. This reads like the beginning of a story with legs (or perhaps wheels), so prepare your cab fare for future installments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)