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The Boy from Earth eBook Darrell Pitt

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The Boy from Earth eBook Darrell Pitt

Across the board this this struck me as a well-crafted and entertaining early middle grade space adventure.

I wasn't so sure right at the outset. Our hero, twelve year old Bobby, is timid, keeps a list of things he's frightened of, and seemed a bit of a sad sack. Uh oh, I thought, this could be a bit of a slog. Well, excuuuuuse me for being a grump. While the plot and story arc are certainly predictable, this is a funny, even sly and witty, tale populated by a gang of extremely personable and engaging kids.

The frame is classic. Earth is an obscure back end of nowhere planet. Out of the blue Bobby is invited, indeed compelled, to become a cadet at the Galactic Space Academy. To decline the invitation would be unthinkable, so off Bobby goes on an adventure he doesn't want to a place about which he knows nothing. He finds himself assigned to Gold Squad, which consists of a smart alien girl, a loyal lumbering alien guy, a two-headed alien inventor kid(s), and a mean spoiled rich kid alien. Really, you say to yourself, could this get any more predictable?

But, all of these characters are nicely developed. Bobby shakes off the timid scaredy-cat persona early on. Smart girl is deadpan funny and a little Goth/twisty around the edges. (Think Hermione Granger with tentacles.)There's a running and rather good joke to the effect that she thinks Earthmen are still in the loincloth stage trying to invent fire, so she's always surprised when Bobby actually knows things. Meanwhile lumbering loyal kid is sweet tempered and gung ho. He is constantly spouting garbled phrases of wisdom from the Book of Err, and this running joke actually gets funnier as the book goes on. Inventor alien is a fine source of gadgets and mean spoiled alien is soft pedaled and humanized early on. So, by the time you're into week two of GSA boot camp the team has come together, it has excellent spirit, it's fun to read about, and we're all ready for an adventure.

Of course, there are lots of Space Academy - Star Wars Academy - Star Fleet Academy - Hogwarts - books around. But, this one does an especially good job of getting the right feel for boarding school, as well as boot camp, space camp, and weird alien camp, and there's more than enough sciencey and tech stuff going on to make it all seem plausible, or at least interesting.

The illustration are helpful for young readers, but they make the book look younger than it is. There is much more subtle, understated and deadpan humor here than you might expect. The dialogue is fresh and often surprising. There are also lessons about friendship, courage, loyalty, and determination that elevate this way above the silly fart and dopey alien level.

Bottom line? Balancing action, adventure, humor, friendship, and school daze hijinks is brutally difficult. I was very pleasantly surprised by how well that was done in this book.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)


Tags : The Boy from Earth - Kindle edition by Darrell Pitt. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Boy from Earth.,ebook,Darrell Pitt,The Boy from Earth,Text Publishing,Adventure and adventurers;Fiction.,Children's Books Ages 9-12 Fiction,Humorous stories.,JUVENILE,JUVENILE FICTION Action & Adventure General,JUVENILE FICTION Humorous Stories,JUVENILE FICTION Science Fiction,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile FictionAction & Adventure - General,Juvenile FictionHumorous Stories,Juvenile Grades 3-4 Ages 8-9,KinderJugendliche: Action- und Abenteuergeschichten,KinderJugendliche: Lustige Romane,KinderJugendliche: Science-Fiction,Space stations;Fiction.,JUVENILE FICTION Action & Adventure General,JUVENILE FICTION Humorous Stories,JUVENILE FICTION Science Fiction,Juvenile FictionAction & Adventure - General,Juvenile FictionHumorous Stories,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Action & Adventure General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Humorous General,Children's & young adult fiction & true stories

The Boy from Earth eBook Darrell Pitt Reviews

Across the board this this struck me as a well-crafted and entertaining early middle grade space adventure.

I wasn't so sure right at the outset. Our hero, twelve year old Bobby, is timid, keeps a list of things he's frightened of, and seemed a bit of a sad sack. Uh oh, I thought, this could be a bit of a slog. Well, excuuuuuse me for being a grump. While the plot and story arc are certainly predictable, this is a funny, even sly and witty, tale populated by a gang of extremely personable and engaging kids.

The frame is classic. Earth is an obscure back end of nowhere planet. Out of the blue Bobby is invited, indeed compelled, to become a cadet at the Galactic Space Academy. To decline the invitation would be unthinkable, so off Bobby goes on an adventure he doesn't want to a place about which he knows nothing. He finds himself assigned to Gold Squad, which consists of a smart alien girl, a loyal lumbering alien guy, a two-headed alien inventor kid(s), and a mean spoiled rich kid alien. Really, you say to yourself, could this get any more predictable?

But, all of these characters are nicely developed. Bobby shakes off the timid scaredy-cat persona early on. Smart girl is deadpan funny and a little Goth/twisty around the edges. (Think Hermione Granger with tentacles.)There's a running and rather good joke to the effect that she thinks Earthmen are still in the loincloth stage trying to invent fire, so she's always surprised when Bobby actually knows things. Meanwhile lumbering loyal kid is sweet tempered and gung ho. He is constantly spouting garbled phrases of wisdom from the Book of Err, and this running joke actually gets funnier as the book goes on. Inventor alien is a fine source of gadgets and mean spoiled alien is soft pedaled and humanized early on. So, by the time you're into week two of GSA boot camp the team has come together, it has excellent spirit, it's fun to read about, and we're all ready for an adventure.

Of course, there are lots of Space Academy - Star Wars Academy - Star Fleet Academy - Hogwarts - books around. But, this one does an especially good job of getting the right feel for boarding school, as well as boot camp, space camp, and weird alien camp, and there's more than enough sciencey and tech stuff going on to make it all seem plausible, or at least interesting.

The illustration are helpful for young readers, but they make the book look younger than it is. There is much more subtle, understated and deadpan humor here than you might expect. The dialogue is fresh and often surprising. There are also lessons about friendship, courage, loyalty, and determination that elevate this way above the silly fart and dopey alien level.

Bottom line? Balancing action, adventure, humor, friendship, and school daze hijinks is brutally difficult. I was very pleasantly surprised by how well that was done in this book.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)