Science+Fiction+5+-+6

Reviews and Awards
Teacher Librarian 10/01/07 Resource Links 06/01/07 Wilson's Children 01/01/09 School Library Journal 05/01/07

Horn Book (Fall 2007)
Though his original cardboard spaceship was destroyed in Star Jumper, Alex has built an even better model. As soon as he tests a new gravity-manipulation device, he'll be able to escape his little brother--and their (broadly portrayed) antagonistic relationship--forever. Frequent spot art masterfully depicts high-tech devices made of common household items, and the boundary between reality and imagination is playfully fluid.

Reviews & Awards
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 09/10/02 School Library Journal 02/01/02 Horn Book 05/01/02

Book Report (September/October 2002) This lightweight science fiction novel is a quick read. Tria hasn't been outside of her pod on the planet Chiron since her father died nearly two years ago. Tria isn't lonely-her mother, an archeologist, has arranged for Tria to have two constant companions: Star, a hologram girl, and Mr. Willoughby, a robot tutor. Tria is content with her nonhuman friends and spends her time tinkering with gadgets in hopes to make Star real. When Tria receives a desperate phone call from her mother telling her to take Star and go immediately to the Back to Basics School, she realizes that her mother has been kidnapped. The plot of this novel is weak and the character [|development] shallow. All in all, a forgettable read. Additional Selection. Tena Litherland, Head Librarian, Web School, Knoxville, Tennessee