Gobbledy

Gobbledy by Lis Anna-Langston   232 pages

Okay, fellow readers, “Gobbledy” is the must-read book of the 2020 holiday season (or any holiday season for that matter)!  It has all the magic and wonder that is missing this year.  The tag line really says it all: “Gobbledy is a fun-filled holiday story that adds up to two brothers, three friends, unlimited jars of peanut butter, a ketchup factory, and one little alien far, far from home.”

Things have been out of sorts for the last six months at the Duckworth home. Nothing seems right since Mom died. Dad does his best, but as the Christmas (or Kissmas, as they call it) approaches, there seems to be less merry and bright than ever.

Eleven-year-old Dexter, his best friend and next door neighbor, Fiona (Fi for short) are working on their science projects that are due on the last day of school before Winter Break. As the novel opens, Fi spots something very interesting on the camera that she installed in the forest. When they reach the spot, they find tiny, cream-colored mushroom that sparkle with lights that float above them. They are growing in a circle around a golden, shimmering rock. Dexter reaches for it, but the mushrooms shock him, as if they are standing guard.

While in his backpack, the rock turns into a small creature, the size of a cricket. Only problem is, it keeps growing until reaches the size of a two-year-old.  And it makes the most horrific noises.

The little creature looks like a mash-up of a cat, a rat, and a rabbit. The illustrations are adorable. The first time I saw Gobbledy, I was in in love. He was given the name because he eats everything…everything, but has a penchant for peanut butter.

Dexter, Fi and joined by Dexter’s eight-and-a-half-year-old brother, Dougal, try to figure out what to do with him. In the meantime, they must hide the creature from the boys’ dad.  Gobbledy is obsessed with a Pet Rock and an empty milk bottle and rarely goes anywhere without them, which makes it more difficult to conceal him.

At times hilarious, at times heart-breaking, readers will love this E.T. meets ALF meets the movie, “A Christmas Story.”  

Gobbledy receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away

The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away by Ronald L. Smith     272 pages

From Goodreads:

Twelve-year-old Simon is obsessed with aliens. The ones who take people and do experiments. When he's too worried about them to sleep, he listens to the owls hoot outside. Owls that have the same eyes as aliens—dark and foreboding.

Then something strange happens on a camping trip, and Simon begins to suspect he’s been abducted. But is it real, or just the overactive imagination of a kid who loves fantasy and role-playing games and is the target of bullies and his father’s scorn?

Even readers who don’t believe in UFOs will relate to the universal kid feeling of not being taken seriously by adults that deepens this deliciously scary tale.

Review:

This is a fascinating book that will draw readers in right away. Simon is a character with a lot of heart, curiosity, and spirit. His fear of aliens and his naturally imaginative mind make for a great mix in the narrative, keeping the reader guessing as to what is real and what isn't.

Simon's story that he writes throughout the novel is an interesting parallel that helps show Simon's imagination and creativity. Readers will enjoy Simon's fantasy world just as much as his quest to uncover the truth behind aliens.

The writing is easy and matches Simon's ages well. Young readers will easily see themselves in Simon and will follow along on his journey without needing any prior knowledge of aliens.

The cast of supporting characters are very minimal, but this book is very much about Simon's experience, so not much is felt to be lacking, aside for maybe a stronger counterpart to Simon.

Overall, this is a thrilling, adventurous book and an interesting take on aliens, albeit with a rather abrupt ending that leaves a few questions to be answered.

Dare Mighty Things

Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski     377 pages

From Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Gupta’s entire life has been leading up to this—the opportunity to travel to space. But to secure a spot on this classified mission, she must first compete against the best and brightest people on the planet. People who are as determined as she to win a place on a journey to the farthest reaches of the universe. 

Cassie is ready for the toll that the competition will take; the rigorous mental and physical tests designed to push her to the brink of her endurance. But nothing could have prepared her for the bonds she would form with the very people she hopes to beat. Or that with each passing day it would be more and more difficult to ignore the feeling that the true objective of the mission is being kept from her.

As the days until the launch tick down and the stakes rise higher than ever before, only one thing is clear to Cassie: she’ll never back down . . . even if it costs her everything.

My review:

This book was interesting because it's a futuristic setting, which I don't come across very often. Humanity is capable of genetically modifying humans before their bore (designer babies) and has landed a man on Mars. Though the NASA still suffers insufficient funds and there's still a general lack of space exploration - until this competition, which Cass luckily get's nominated for.

I enjoyed Cass's narrative - she is hard working, determined, and yet still relatable. She struggles with homesickness, with feeling too nerdy at times and at others not ne
rdy enough, and difficulties with making friends. I liked seeing her progression through this book as she comes to understand her fellow competitors better and, even further, relates to them and befriends them.

The plot is pretty steady, hardly dragging and once the mission begins, Kaczynski really kicks it into high gear. The sci-fi is pretty soft, so I think most readers will be able to enjoy the book even if they aren't big sci-fi fans. The book follows a pretty clear trajectory that, while predictable, is still intriguing and doesn't give away everything at once. While I knew certain outcomes early on, I was still pleasantly surprised but other little twists. Though it ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger (this book is a duology), it still manages to wrap itself up so that it doesn't rely too heavily on what comes in another installment of the series.

I am definitely going to read the follow up book and I would highly recommend it to space-buffs and YA readers alike. There is some minor romance, but it's not the central plot (it barely factors in the book) and much more emphasis is placed on Cass and her growth. It's very much a woman-power book and I appreciated that.

Landscape with Invisible Hand

Landscape with Invisible Hand by M. T. Anderson     149 pages

When the vuvv first landed, it came as a surprise to aspiring artist Adam and the rest of planet Earth - but not necessarily an unwelcome one. Can it really be called an invasion when the vuvv generously offered free advanced technology and cures for every illness imaginable? As it turns out, yes. With his parents' jobs replaced by alien tech and no money for food, clean water, or the vuvv's miraculous medicine, Adam and his girlfriend, Chloe, have to get creative to survive. Soon enough, Adam must decide how far he's willing to go - and what he's willing to sacrifice - to give the vuvv what they want.

This is such a strange story - but it's quirky and that's why I liked it. One would think it would be hard to imagine such a short story capable of encompassing a futuristic Earth where alien creatures basically run things and everything from society to technology is different, but Anderson is able to deftly create this new, strange world without long passages of description or "telling," he just shows it to you through little windows throughout the story.

Adam Costello is a hilarious narrator and I think this would make a really good recommendation book to any teen who doesn't like to read - One, it's short. Two, it's funny. And three, it stands out because it's different - there's a little bit for everybody and the main character is just so relatable, you can't help but get behind him.

Honestly, I'd recommend it to everybody - even if you don't like sci-fi. It's very light on the sci-fi. It's mostly a story about a boy trying to help his family get through a crisis (with aliens and their new economy as the backdrop). It's worth the read, and hey - it's short. You can finish it in a day.

Perelandra

Perelandra by CS Lewis, 238 pages

In Perelandra, the second book in CS Lewis' Space Trilogy, Elwin Ransom is summoned by the eldils to travel to Perelandra, the world men call Venus, for unknown reasons.  Where Malacandra (Mars) boasted a civilization older than that of Thulcandra (Earth), Perelandra is younger - indeed, intelligent life is just beginning.  Ransom recognizes his purpose after he meets the Lady - the Venusian Eve - and the pair are joined by his old enemy Weston, there to play the role of the Tempter.  Or, at least, to be the host for the true Tempter.

Perelandra is less interesting as science fiction than Out of the Silent Planet.  There are some memorable creations - Venus' floating islands of vegetation primary among them - but the focus is now on the philosophical and religious elements of the story.  Lewis' real triumph is in the character of the Tempter.  There is none of the operatic grandeur of Milton's Satan in the thing possessing Weston, but only petty baseness and senseless - worse, passionless - cruelty.  Its arguments are the arguments its kind have made throughout human history, distilled into a few days of subversion, while the final battle between Ransom and not-Weston is one of the most epic fights in all of literature.

Out of the Silent Planet

Out of the Silent Planet by CS Lewis, 174 pages

The first book in Lewis' Space Trilogy introduces Elwin Ransom, Cambridge philologist and avid walker, who finds himself kidnapped and taken to Mars as a human sacrifice for the alien gods.  His captors are Weston and Devine, the former a genius who has invented interplanetary travel, a tool which he intends to use to ensure the future of the human race no matter what - or who - gets in his way, the latter an investor who sees Weston's quest as a means to accumulate unimaginable personal wealth.  Luckily for Ransom, the universe is a far different place from what either imagines.

Out of the Silent Planet is the most conventional science fiction book in the trilogy, a planetary romance obviously inspired by Burroughs and Wells, the latter of whom is directly referenced by Ransom.  The depiction of Martian life is unique and, especially in terms of language, somewhat better developed than in most other such works.  But it is the climax, in which Ransom struggles to explain the "bent" thinking of Devine and Weston to the uncomprehending Martians, which makes the book truly unforgettable and presages the rest of the series.

Assassination Classroom Volumes 1-10

Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui Volumes 1-10, 1928 pages (10 books)

Koro-sensei is not your average teacher. In fact he is a quite literally monster. Having recently eaten half of the moon, he threatens to destroy Earth unless his pupils can assassinate him before the end of the school year. What at first seemed like a difficult task is made near impossible as his abilities come to light, such as moving at speeds near Mach 20 and being impervious to nearly all weapons. But the fate of the world is resting on class 3-E, or as they are known at their school, the rejects.

So far I have enjoyed this series more than I thought I would. When I first read the plot and even the first part of the book, I thought it was a little corny. My first though was this series would eventually rely on a loophole or weird twist to save the Earth. But as the series has progressed, Matsui has done a great job of convincing me that it might just be possible for this ragtag group of students to actually accomplish their goal. I got a real kick out of the way the monster helps his students both in their classwork, but also in their planning to kill him.

But since the series is not over yet, I am reserving my judgement till the end. I am predicting that he falls in love with the students and cannot bring himself to destroy the world. It would be cheesy, but at least it would not be a loophole.

Link: The Shadow of Light (Book !)

Link: The Shadow of Light (Book 1) by Summer Wier    318 pages

For her 17^th birthday, Kira’s closest friends---Zane, Fischer and Faye---have taken her to their favorite camping spot in the woods.  Kira has a crush on Zane, and the feelings seem to be reciprocated, but neither acts upon them.

As Kira takes a midnight swim, a foreign light, races toward the lake. The collision between the light and water pushes Kira toward the bottom. Faye best describes the incident, “It fell out of the sky, and then nothing. No rock, no meteor, not even a UFO. Did you see how it lingered on the lake? Dancing like…I don’t know, liquid fire melting into the water.”

It seems whatever happened out there, it changed Kira. She awakes two days later, realizing she has been somewhere else. The place seemed like her planet, but it’s not. There is a boy, Evan, who seems to be her guide. He shows her how to navigate the carnival-cave she materializes in, so that she can slip through her world and his. When she goes back to sleep, she awakens on her own planet.

Turns out Kira has descended into a black hole. The star that gives her the power to move between planets is dying. She can feel the light ebbing away from her. She must solve the problem of her missing father, and stay back home before her star dies, trapping her in the other world. To mention anything else, would give away the plot, and I won’t do that to you.

I like the way author Wier describes both planets like Earth. I was rather taken back when I learned that Kira and the gang’s home was not planet Earth, but that’s part of the premise that human life as we know if can exist on other planets. There is some real science in the book, not enough to turnoff readers, but enough to give Wier’s theories validity.

I was pulled into the story until about page 75. I didn’t like the way it ended, with no real resolution. I understand that Wier is luring readers to want to read Book 2. I think I read somewhere that The Shadow of Light series is to be a trilogy.

For those reasons, I give Link: The Shadow of Light (Book 1) 4 out of 5 stars.

Earth Flight

EarthFlight by Janet Edwards, 365 pages

“Jarra never wanted to be a celebrity. All she ever wanted was to gain some respect for the people left on Earth: the unlucky few whose immune system prevents them from portaling to other planets.  Except now she's the most famous Earth girl in the universe - but not everyone in the universe is happy about it, nor the fact that she has found love with a norm. Jarra's actions have repercussions that spread further than she ever could have imagined, and political unrest threatens to tear apart the delicate balance of peace between humanity's worlds.  On top of everything, the first alien artifact ever discovered appears to be waiting for Jarra to reveal its secrets. But to do so, she must somehow find a way to leave Earth - or else the alien artifact will be lost forever. Is there a way for Jarra to travel to another planet? Or is her destiny only to look to the stars - but never to reach them?”  I loved the finale to this series.  These books just kept getting better in my opinion.  This series is a must for teen science fiction fans.

Earth Star

Earth Star by Janet Edwards, 287 pages

In this sequel to Earth Girl, Jarra is once again called upon to help save the Earth from possible destruction.  When an alien sphere appears in the sky above Earth, Jarra and her boyfriend, Fian, are drafted into the military so that they can help with the crisis from a historian standpoint.  Jarra's status as Handicapped but from a military family makes her uniquely qualified to assist with what the military has in mind.  The situation is extremely dangerous, as no one knows if the sphere is hostile and it has not responded to any communication efforts.  If a peaceful solution cannot be reached, the governments may decide to take aggressive action, which could easily end up with the destruction of Earth.  I think I liked this book better than the first and can't wait to finish the third book also.  I would definitely recommend this series to teen science fiction fans.

Shadows in Flight

Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card, 237 pages

So this book by Card finishes up the Shadows series and the life of Bean. For those that have not read any of the books yet, go read them like I have told you before! But if you are still going to ignore me, Bean is another super smart, though somewhat altered child that attended battle school with Ender. In fact if Ender had started to falter, Bean would have been the one to continue the war with the Formics. When we left off in this series Bean had just taken himself and three of his children into space. The idea was to stay at near light speed travel until a cure could be developed for their genetic condition. But those plans get sidetracked when they happen upon another starship, one that belongs to a previously thought dead enemy.

Shadows in Flight is somewhat humorous, especially seeing the childhood squabbles of super geniuses, but also quite sad. It is rare to come across a series of books where you can see a person grow up. Sure it is easy to find books that quickly jump through a person’s life, but do three hundred pages really tell their story? Even less common are well written series that you slowly watch the characters grow. Rarer still are these same types of series that follow that person through their entire life. Watching a character that we have seen grow up throughout the books, especially in the detail oriented style that Card uses, leaves an emotional imprint on the reader. To then see that character you know and love on their deathbed really hits home.

I know I say this a lot, but I enjoyed reading this series. But this book leaves a lot of questions unanswered, especially what happens after this. If you are one of those readers that need everything tied up in a nice pretty bow at the end, then skip over this series. But if you like reading science fiction, and liked Ender’s Game, then this book and this series should be on your list.

The End of All Things by John Scalzi
380 pages

"Humans expanded into space...only to find a universe populated with multiple alien species bent on their destruction. Thus was the Colonial Union formed, to help protect us from a hostile universe. The Colonial Union used the Earth and its excess population for colonists and soldiers. It was a good arrangement...for the Colonial Union. Then the Earth said: no more. Now the Colonial Union is living on borrowed time-a couple of decades at most, before the ranks of the Colonial Defense Forces are depleted and the struggling human colonies are vulnerable to the alien species who have been waiting for the first sign of weakness, to drive humanity to ruin. And there's another problem: A group, lurking in the darkness of space, playing human and alien against each other-and against their own kind -for their own unknown reasons. In this collapsing universe, CDF Lieutenant Harry Wilson and the Colonial Union diplomats he works with race against the clock to discover who is behind attacks on the Union and on alien races, to seek peace with a suspicious, angry Earth, and keep humanity's union intact...or else risk oblivion, and extinction-and the end of all things."

This is less a novel and more a linkage of related novellas set in Scalzi's old men universe.  Characters are well developed and book is easy to read.  If you haven't read any of Scalzi's previous books I would recommend reading the Old Man's War and the other prior books first since they set the background for this novel.

Visitors

Visitors by Orson Scott Card, 598 pages

Rigg, with his friend Umbo and sister Param, is still trying to devise a plan to save their planet, Garden, from destruction.  Rigg's double, Noxon, plans to travel to Earth to see what he can find out about the motives of the humans there while Rigg travels to the different wallfolds on Garden to try to figure out something from Garden's end that might have provoked the attack.  With their abilities to shape and travel in time, the friends should be able to figure out what is happening, but if they don't make the right decisions, Garden could end up a pile of rubble.  I really liked the last book in the series best of all of them.  I had a harder time getting involved in the first two books but this one was a little better.  I can't say that this is my favorite series by Card but it's pretty good and most teens who like fantasy will enjoy it.

Contest

Contest by Matthew Reilly, 334 pages

A co-worker recommended this book to me, and I should have known what genre it would be before I even read it: science fiction. My co-worker loves science fiction, but I'm not really a fan. Nothing personal against science fiction, but it's just not my cup of tea. The last book he recommended to me was science fiction, so I really should have known. Fool me twice, I guess.

With that being said, I am pleasantly surprised as to how much I actually enjoyed the book. The timeline of the book occurs in less than one day, and it is riveting! The action is basically nonstop, and it was because of this that the book made for a quick and exciting read.

The only downside? It involves a contest (that takes place in the New York Public Library) where the last person (or alien) who is alive wins. Normally, I suppose, this wouldn't be such a bad thing, but it can become problematic (and rather traumatizing) if you read this book directly after reading The Hunger Games (which I did).

It is worth it, though. You may just have the inexplicable desire to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar or a Dr. Seuss book afterwards, though.

Continuation of the Odd series

Odd Hours, Odd Interlude and Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz, (352, 279 and 355 pages. 986 total)

When I first read Odd Hours and saw how weird the story lines had gotten, I started writing a post blasting the series for its severe digression from believeableness. But I held off and read the next book. Nope, not any more realistic. In fact it has slid even further down into science fiction. Again I started writing a post but deleted it unpublished, deciding to hold out a little longer. I was also in a small way enjoying the mixing of science fiction, but I was still disappointed in the turn. But then I read Odd Apocalypse and was forced to accept that if I wanted to keep reading this series, I would have to accept that it is most definitely crossing the line into science fiction.


In Odd Hours, Odd attempts to stop a group of people smuggling in nuclear weapons. Helping him, or confusing the daylights out of him is a cagey possible clairvoyant named Annamaria. Frankly I am not sure what role she is really going to play, but she is in all three of these book and I am still clueless.

Odd Interlude takes place at a small truck stop of a town that would not be a bad place to live except for the mutant alien guy holding the town hostage and killing people.

Finally Odd Apocalypse happens in a deserted western retreat that also seems like an awesome place to live except for the time traveling monsters and the secret cult that likes to kill people. So close.

I don't know if I can continue reading this series or not. I love Koontz's writing and I like Odd, but it takes me so long to accept what I am reading as possible that I lose interest. If this had started as a science fiction series it would not be a problem, but as it is only time will tell.

Year Zero

Year Zero by Rob Reid, 357 pages

Aliens love music, but are dreadfully untalented at creating it. When they discover human music they become addicted and quickly begin downloading every piece they can find. It isn't until after they've done this that they realize they've just committed the biggest copyright violation since the Big Bang, and that the resulting fines is enough to bankrupt the universe. Their natural plan is to destroy the Earth, however Carly and Frampton decide to recruit Nick Carter, a music lawyer who is on the brink of being fired to arrange licenses and avoid disaster. Nick now has forty-eight hours to save humanity, find a way to keep his job, all while hopefully wowing the hot girl who lives down the hall from him.

The plot was fun and over the top, and the story was overall hilarious. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Douglas Adams, and similar science fiction authors.

Dangerous

Dangerous by Shannon Hale, 408 pages

Maisie is ecstatic when she wins a contest that will allow her to attend an astronaut training camp for three weeks.  She has been homeschooled all of her life and at the camp she meets a boy who is called Wilder.  Maisie is surprised that Wilder seems interested in her and even more surprised that she is interested in him.  Even better than that, her group wins a trip to the Beanstalk that attaches the earth to a space station.  When they arrive, they are actually allowed to go part way up to the halfway point where the camp benefactor, Dr. Howell shows the group something very unusual that ends up changing their lives, but maybe not for the better.  This is part romance and science fiction and all excitement for a large part of the book.  Many teens will enjoy it.

Earth Awakens

Earth Awakens by Orson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston, 395 pages

This is the part of the story that takes place a hundred years before Ender’s Game.  It tells the story of Mazer Rackham, hero of the First Formic War, and how he got that title.  The Formic race has come to Earth and has been killing off much of the population in China.  The Earth has not yet decided that they might be able to be more effective in the fight if they work together rather than as separate nations.  Mazer has been working with a group of military personnel who have had some success in taking out some of the Formics.  Meanwhile, Victor and Imala have been working for Lem Jukes and trying to find a way to destroy the Formic mothership.  This is an exciting science fiction adventure that will satisfy Card’s fans as well as general fans of science fiction.

Smek For President

Smek For President by Adam Rex, 245 pages

Tip and J.Lo decide to take a trip to New BoovWorld, which is on one of Saturn’s moons.  Tip just wanted to take a trip and J.Lo wanted to try to clear his name since he was the one who brought the Gorg to Earth in the previous book.  He and Tip are also the ones who got rid of the Gorg, but everyone thinks that was Dan Landry.  Unfortunately, Tip’s mom sort of said no to the trip and Tip went anyway.  However, Tip and J.Lo did get in to see Smek and he believed their story.  Unfortunately, he didn’t care because another Boov, Ponch Sandhandler, has decided to fight Smek, politically, for leadership of the Boov.  Smek thinks that if he has J.Lo captive, this will put him ahead in popularity.  This puts Tip and J.Lo in a crazy adventure of trying to escape New BoovWorld alive, intact, and in possession of their voiceboxes.  This was a fun sequel to “The True Meaning Of Smekday” that I think a lot of kids would enjoy but would be better to read in order.

The Infinite Sea

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey, 300 pages

Cassie and her friends are trying to decide what to do.  They can try to hide and wait out the winter or set out and look for other survivors.  It’s hard to tell what might be the best course of action.  The Others clearly will not give up but no one knows what the next step should be.  The Others plan to exterminate the entire human race and no one knows how to stop them.  The best chance for survival was Evan Walker, but Cassie is afraid that he is dead.  Now the Others are using young children as bombs.  Something must be done, but what?  This is a compelling sequel to The 5^th Wave and a good set up for more books to come.   Teens who like science fiction dystopian novels will enjoy this series.