Yes. I admit it. I’m a huge sci-fi fan. And lately there seems to be a lot of it popping up in Middle Grade. To say I’m thrilled might be an understatement.
Today, in honor of the 66th Anniversary of the Roswell UFO incident, I’d like to celebrate with all my fellow sci-fi nerds by introducing you to one of this year’s most epic, action-packed, intergalatic adventures!
The Planet Thieves, by Dan Krokos
Official Synopsis: “Two weeks ago, thirteen-year-old Mason Stark and 
seventeen of his fellow cadets from the Academy for Earth Space Command boarded theSS Egypt. The trip was supposed to be a short routine voyage to log their required spacetime for summer quarter.
But routine goes out the airlock when they’re attacked by the Tremist, an alien race who have been at war with humanity for the last sixty years.
With the captain and crew dead, injured, or taken prisoner, Mason and the cadets are all that’s left to warn the ESC. And soon they find out exactly why the Tremist chose this ship to attack: the Egypt is carrying a weapon that could change the war forever.
Now Mason will have to lead the cadets in a daring assault to take back the ship, rescue the survivors, and recover the weapon. Before there isn’t a war left to fight.”
My thoughts: As I’ve said in many posts, I love when I find a Middle Grade book that doesn’t talk down to its reader. So often the assumption is made by authors that children are not emotionally complex, and this lack of depth often shows in their characters. The Planet Thieves is one of those rare exceptions.
Dan Krokos’s characters are full of depth, strength, conflicting emotions, and all the nuances and subtleties that come along with being human. This psychological angst gives his key players distinct voices and colors that is so often lost in the fast paced movement of action -filled books.
And this book is definitely action — from beginning to end the kids on the Egypt spacecraft are faced with defeating odds, close-calls, and near death experiences. It’s akin to watching one of the new Star Trek films; danger is eminent, safety is an illusion, and every battle won is only another unfolding layer of a defining war.
Despite my 12-year-old-boy literary sensibilities, the girl in me does like the occasional lull in action to make room for more emotional shifting, even romance perhaps, and The Planet Thieves does contain hints of this (but only hints). My only gripe (and perhaps a stereotypical female one, at that) is the non-stop action. But it is the nature of the plot, so I can’t really complain.
Overall, this book is an excellent escape into the speculative drama of space and the intergalatic conflicts that will no doubt ensue once we’ve discovered life on other planets.
A+
Novel Novice 
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