Space Adventures!
So this past week I finished TWO books that are both adventures in space. I think it was really fun to read these two books at the same time and compare how the authors wrote these sci-fiction stories.
First I read Starflight by Melissa Landers. Coolest thing about this author: She is from Loveland, Ohio--about 20 minutes away from where I graduated high school and where my parents live now. What a small world. Landers has written other series like the Alienated trilogy. Starflight is also the first book in a duology. So I'm looking forward to reading the second book.
Solara is looking for a way to start over as an engineer on the other side of the galaxy after being branded a felon. She manages to secure passage on a ship by indenturing herself to a rich young man she knew from school--Doran Spaulding. She ends up kidnapping him and they end up on a ship called the Banshee with a very eclectic crew. They eventually overcome their hatred for each other to work together to avoid their pasts.
I would characterize this book as a space adventure romance. There are a TON of fun adventurous moments--including SPACE PIRATES!! Who doesn't love space pirates? But one of the main reasons that I enjoyed this book was the banter that occurred between Solara and Doran as they grew from enemies to lovers. It's not unbearably mushy like some YA novels. But it definitely made me want to continue to turn pages to see what happens with their relationship.
I borrowed this book from the Junior High library where I teach. I would probably say that I wouldn't recommend this book for junior high age students since there are lot of innuendos as well as romance. But I would have no problem recommending this for high school students.
The second book that I read this week was another ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) that I received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I read Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy by Joshua Levy. This book was also really fun but had a very different tone from the other space book that I read this week.
"PSS 118 is just your typical school--except that it's a rickety old spaceship orbiting Jupiter. When the school is mysteriously attacked, thirteen-year-old Jack receives a cryptic message from his father (the school's recently-fired-for-tinkering-with-the-ship science teacher). Amidst the chaos, Jack discovers that his dad has built humanity's first light-speed engine--and given Jack control of it. To save the ship, Jack catapults it hundreds of light-years away and right into the clutches of the first aliens humans have ever seen. School hasn't just gotten out: it's gone clear across the galaxy. And now it's up to Jack and his friends to get everyone home."
This book had a very fun, youthful narrator that made it a really entertaining read. I feel like in some ways it is a very casual science fiction story. A lot of science fiction works really hard to explain all the background of it and how things work. Joshua Levy just goes along with it. We learn about aspects of the PSS 118 just as Jack and his friends do. The friendship (and arguments) between them seem very similar to what I see as a 7th grade teacher so I'm sure that my Junior High students would really enjoy this. I do have to say that one of the funniest most relatable characters is the ship itself--PSS 118.
There were a lot of twists and turns that I didn't see coming as well that kept me on my toes. It leaves you at an interesting point since it is obviously planned to be a sequel so it's hard to feel like everything is resolved at the end of this book.
If you're interested in reading this book, you'll have to wait just a little longer since the expected publication isn't until March 2019. But it's on its way!!
First I read Starflight by Melissa Landers. Coolest thing about this author: She is from Loveland, Ohio--about 20 minutes away from where I graduated high school and where my parents live now. What a small world. Landers has written other series like the Alienated trilogy. Starflight is also the first book in a duology. So I'm looking forward to reading the second book.
I would characterize this book as a space adventure romance. There are a TON of fun adventurous moments--including SPACE PIRATES!! Who doesn't love space pirates? But one of the main reasons that I enjoyed this book was the banter that occurred between Solara and Doran as they grew from enemies to lovers. It's not unbearably mushy like some YA novels. But it definitely made me want to continue to turn pages to see what happens with their relationship.
I borrowed this book from the Junior High library where I teach. I would probably say that I wouldn't recommend this book for junior high age students since there are lot of innuendos as well as romance. But I would have no problem recommending this for high school students.
The second book that I read this week was another ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) that I received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I read Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy by Joshua Levy. This book was also really fun but had a very different tone from the other space book that I read this week.
This book had a very fun, youthful narrator that made it a really entertaining read. I feel like in some ways it is a very casual science fiction story. A lot of science fiction works really hard to explain all the background of it and how things work. Joshua Levy just goes along with it. We learn about aspects of the PSS 118 just as Jack and his friends do. The friendship (and arguments) between them seem very similar to what I see as a 7th grade teacher so I'm sure that my Junior High students would really enjoy this. I do have to say that one of the funniest most relatable characters is the ship itself--PSS 118.
There were a lot of twists and turns that I didn't see coming as well that kept me on my toes. It leaves you at an interesting point since it is obviously planned to be a sequel so it's hard to feel like everything is resolved at the end of this book.
If you're interested in reading this book, you'll have to wait just a little longer since the expected publication isn't until March 2019. But it's on its way!!
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