Rebellion

March 1, 2014
Zachary Night and his fellow Starbounders return in the second volume in a convoluted series that crosses Star Trek with Harry Potter but neglects key ingredients such as theme, character or apparent purpose. When readers last saw Zachary, he had survived his escapade on Callisto with a mysterious mark on his arm left by the late professor Olari. Now the Lightwings of Indigo 8 must decipher this mark and save the universe from total destruction. The ensuing quest involves a whirlwind tour of a galaxy bristling with gadgets, creatures and places like decibel graters, the robotic Cmdr. Keel and the planet Klenarog. The book's strength is this creative, fleshed-out universe; unfortunately, having built it, the authors weave a narrative with no apparent objective, just a lot of incidents. Obstacle after obstacle is passed with such ease and efficiency that they can barely be called obstacles. Zachary and his friends learn little along the way and have equally little definition to them. The authors provide plenty of happenstance and commotion, but they don't deliver on what matters: a reason to care about what's happening. The slapdash adventure never fully engages, and the result is a shrug of a book that feels like a place holder until the next volume. All flash and no substance, this sequel fails at raising the pulse or touching the heart. (Science fiction. 9-12)

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April 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-Adventures in the 'outerverse'-that which is beyond our universe-continue for Kaylee, Ryic, Quee, and Zachary. In training at the Indigo 8 Academy, the foursome began their adventures in Starbounders (HarperCollins, 2013). Zachary seems to have gotten addicted to heroics and his pals join him as they seek to interpret the secret burned into Zachary's arm by the now deceased Professor Olari. Gadgets such as lensicons, friction boots, and warp gloves accompany oddities such as Basqalich and Greebok space creatures, entering the narrative at light speed. Readers not familiar with the first in this series will soon find themselves swimming in jargon. The theme hinges on Zachary's desire to go it alone, or with just his buddies. These buddies and the other allies he meets along the way seem to have extraordinary skills, but in the end, these teens need help to overcome the bad guys. Fast-paced events in this foreign environment are fairly easily translated into more familiar terms with the small drawings at the head of each chapter making it all somehow familiar, yet exotic.This is kid-friendly fare with just enough sanitized violence to please the average middle school space enthusiast.-Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2014
Grades 4-6 With the same headlong pacing that propelled the opening episode (Starbounders, 2013), Zachary and his three fellow Starbounder cadets again rocket their way through multiple chases, ambushes, and escapes to save the day. It seems that something is sucking the energy from entire stars. Could it be the secretive Black Atom Society? Does the answer lie in the cryptic tattoo that Zachary acquired in the previous adventure? Tongues firmly in cheek, the authors concoct a wide-open space opera punctuated by wild rides aboard gasoline-powered (!) spacecraft, flying motorcycles, high-speed roller skates, and, even, at an alien rodeo, a bucking greebock as disruptor bolts blast and stun balls fly. The quest culminates in a climactic battle with robots and giant virusesfollowed by an ominous message that sets up the next outing. Violence is plentiful, but strictly of the cartoon variety.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
Restless from their last adventure, Zachary and his Starbounder-in-training friends set out to translate the cryptic message left by the late Professor Olari. When they end up uncovering a terrifying plot that could result in the annihilation of all life forms, the friends embark on a quest to stop those behind it. Flimsy character development leaves this second installment lacking, though the action-packed chapters move briskly along.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)