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A review by the_fabric_of_words
Project Alpha by D.J. MacHale
5.0
This is a fun sci-fi / space opera series for younger middle grade readers, featuring a contest to get into space, a team of four winners, and simulations that prepare them for the challenges they'll face on a two-year mission. I know it's a bit older, but given the weight many of these authors carry in kid-lit circles, I felt it worth reading and recommending for the holiday season.
The set up is that the Earth has depleted all fossil energy sources and is experiencing wide-spread electricity blackouts. Enter Project Alpha, ostensibly judged by Commander Shawn Phillips, but actually conceived and controlled behind the scenes by Chris, a boy-genius who supposedly designed the technology to go into space and find the elements that will form the Source, an unlimited power source for Earth. (I'm not entirely convinced Chris is human, but I'll have to read more to find out.)
Project Alpha starts as a nationwide competition and is winnowed down to eight finalists, who make up the bulk of the story. Only four kids are chosen, but don't count the losers out of the competition.
They're chosen after facing simulation challenges presenting situations they'll encounter while on the two-year mission in space. One is against a Raptogon, a sort of Tyranno-Velociraptor hybrid on a jungle-like planet. Another is a yeti-like being in a frozen tundra. Another is a bunch of sneaky, intelligent robots in an entirely engineered structure with moving floor tiles (kinda like a video game).
The twelve year olds are chosen because anyone over the age of 14 can be harmed by the space travel technology utilized on the Cloud Leopard. Except for Chris.
The Alpha teen captain, Dash, is older than anticipated and has to take drugs to delay the onset of puberty, and if he doesn't take his meds on time, every day, he could die before coming home from the mission. That's a tall order for any 12-year-old to adhere to. The other three winners are Gabriel, who wants to be a pilot; Carly and Piper, who uses a cool hovercraft insted of a wheelchair.
The first planet the kids go to is the Raptogon planet, and the challenge is to extract a tooth from one of the huge hulking beasts. I won't spoil how it ends, just know they have to come together as a team to accomplish their mission.
It sets it up nicely for book 2. This was a quick, easy read, fun for middle grade readers interested in science fiction and space travel who still haven't quite given up their fascination of dinosaurs. Enjoy!
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
The set up is that the Earth has depleted all fossil energy sources and is experiencing wide-spread electricity blackouts. Enter Project Alpha, ostensibly judged by Commander Shawn Phillips, but actually conceived and controlled behind the scenes by Chris, a boy-genius who supposedly designed the technology to go into space and find the elements that will form the Source, an unlimited power source for Earth. (I'm not entirely convinced Chris is human, but I'll have to read more to find out.)
Project Alpha starts as a nationwide competition and is winnowed down to eight finalists, who make up the bulk of the story. Only four kids are chosen, but don't count the losers out of the competition.
They're chosen after facing simulation challenges presenting situations they'll encounter while on the two-year mission in space. One is against a Raptogon, a sort of Tyranno-Velociraptor hybrid on a jungle-like planet. Another is a yeti-like being in a frozen tundra. Another is a bunch of sneaky, intelligent robots in an entirely engineered structure with moving floor tiles (kinda like a video game).
The twelve year olds are chosen because anyone over the age of 14 can be harmed by the space travel technology utilized on the Cloud Leopard. Except for Chris.
The Alpha teen captain, Dash, is older than anticipated and has to take drugs to delay the onset of puberty, and if he doesn't take his meds on time, every day, he could die before coming home from the mission. That's a tall order for any 12-year-old to adhere to. The other three winners are Gabriel, who wants to be a pilot; Carly and Piper, who uses a cool hovercraft insted of a wheelchair.
The first planet the kids go to is the Raptogon planet, and the challenge is to extract a tooth from one of the huge hulking beasts. I won't spoil how it ends, just know they have to come together as a team to accomplish their mission.
It sets it up nicely for book 2. This was a quick, easy read, fun for middle grade readers interested in science fiction and space travel who still haven't quite given up their fascination of dinosaurs. Enjoy!
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/