Dedicated fans of the series will appreciate it, but it probably won't win new converts. (Science fiction. 12 & up)
The fourth installment in Testa’s teen saga of space exploration, the Galahad Series.
A year into their mission to establish a new home for humankind beyond the edge of the known universe, the crew of the Galahad has had their share of trials. There hasn’t been much time to deal with the usual issues of teen angst and first loves, but that doesn’t mean these aren’t part of the mix. Dealing with relationships is the central issue in this outing, from friendship to love to loss. Most importantly, how does the team build a relationship with a new species? Vulturelike creatures appear, pace and then attach themselves to the outer hull of the ship. Are they a threat? Mere observers? Perhaps they are messengers…but from whom and from where? The Council has to put aside their personal considerations to resolve the best course of action—for the ship and the crew, their mission and all that remains of humanity. Slow to start, this book regains momentum halfway through to race toward an open conclusion. With only two more books in the series, the next installment should pick up the pace.
Dedicated fans of the series will appreciate it, but it probably won't win new converts. (Science fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2110-7
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda’s Manhattan...
When Miranda’s best friend Sal gets punched by a strange kid, he abruptly stops speaking to her; then oddly prescient letters start arriving.
They ask for her help, saying, “I'm coming to save your friend's life, and my own.” Readers will immediately connect with Miranda’s fluid first-person narration, a mix of Manhattan street smarts and pre-teen innocence. She addresses the letter writer and recounts the weird events of her sixth-grade year, hoping to make sense of the crumpled notes. Miranda’s crystalline picture of her urban landscape will resonate with city teens and intrigue suburban kids. As the letters keep coming, Miranda clings to her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, and discusses time travel with Marcus, the nice, nerdy boy who punched Sal. Keen readers will notice Stead toying with time from the start, as Miranda writes in the present about past events that will determine her future.
Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda’s Manhattan world converge amid mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to the beginning and say, “Wow...cool.” (Fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: July 14, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-385-73742-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2009
The sardonic tone of the narrator’s voice lends a refreshing air of realism to this riotously paced quest tale of heroism...
Edgar Award–winning Riordan leaves the adult world of mystery to begin a fantasy series for younger readers.
Twelve-year-old Percy (full name, Perseus) Jackson has attended six schools in six years. Officially diagnosed with ADHD, his lack of self-control gets him in trouble again and again. What if it isn’t his fault? What if all the outrageous incidents that get him kicked out of school are the result of his being a “half-blood,” the product of a relationship between a human and a Greek god? Could it be true that his math teacher Mrs. Dodds transformed into a shriveled hag with bat wings, a Fury, and was trying to kill him? Did he really vanquish her with a pen that turned into a sword? One need not be an expert in Greek mythology to enjoy Percy’s journey to retrieve Zeus’s master bolt from the Underworld, but those who are familiar with the deities and demi-gods will have many an ah-ha moment. Along the way, Percy and his cohort run into Medusa, Cerberus and Pan, among others.
The sardonic tone of the narrator’s voice lends a refreshing air of realism to this riotously paced quest tale of heroism that questions the realities of our world, family, friendship and loyalty. (Fantasy. 12-15)Pub Date: July 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-7868-5629-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2005
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