Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy

Description

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.

Joshua S. Levy is a husband, lawyer, father, and children's book author who lives in New Jersey.

An exciting adventure full of humor and action that will make you wish you went to school in space. --Gareth Wronski, author of Holly Farb and the Princess of the Galaxy -- "Other Print" (10/2/2018 12:00:00 AM) Seventh-grade buddies Jack and Ari, along with the class bully T-Bex (Becka), are all that stand between their space-station school (P.S.S. 118) and the galaxy-controlling Elvidian Minister's brand of punishment for Jack's dad's tinkering with forbidden science. What was supposed to be the last day of seventh grade turns into the first day of saving the world. Reminiscent of writing by Chris Grabenstein, this middle-grade action-adventure space opera is just plain fun. Sassy ship computers, mean lunch-lady robots, a suitably authoritarian villain, and the freedom to roam the universe to save their families make this a story that will appeal to boys and girls alike, and there are hints of age-appropriate romance (spoiler alert, Ari has a crush on Becka) thrown in for good measure. There's plenty of STEM material as the kids must acquire fuel, repair the lightspeed engines, and escape the pull of planets. Levy's energetic debut will especially appeal to fans of Monica Tesler's Bounders series, David Liss' Randoms (2015), and Adam Rex's Smek books.--Booklist -- "Journal" (12/18/2018 12:00:00 AM) The good news: Jack's science teacher dad has discovered how to travel at light speed. The bad news: he's fired before he can get rich on his new technology. He secretly installs it aboard PSS 118 before being escorted off, leaving Jack to endure the scorn and bullying that come with having a disgraced father. But when the ship is attacked, this semi-sentient technology kicks in, and suddenly Jack, his best friend Ari, and his nemesis Becka have hurtled 400 light years away and find themselves face-to-face with an evil galactic overlord. Chases, alien mall scenes, and daring rescues abound. Sci-fi tropes are everywhere in this story: time travel, aliens, time travel with aliens! Jack is a funny, nerdy seventh grader, and there's even some character growth as he learns to trust others and realizes he doesn't always have to be the boss. Be warned: there's an obvious trail of bread crumbs leading to a sequel. VERDICT A perfect bridge for readers looking for a Percy Jackson-esque work of science fiction.--School Library Journal -- "Journal" (1/1/2019 12:00:00 AM)