TeenLit Book Reviews

The packet of “Star Wars, Attack of the Clones” includes four books: An Attack of the Clones Movie Storybook, The Stars of Star Wars book, a children’s book on the adventures of Anakin, and a Jedi training and trials book ( which also includes a lightasber pen). The Movie Storybook, written by Jane Mason and Sarah Hines- Stephens, is based on the story by George Lucas. It starts by the reunion of Padmé, the former Queen of Naboo, and Anakin, the future Darth Vader. This book concentrates mainly on the love story between Anakin and Padmé, and it is meant for a young audience, having a simple plot and story. It is appropriate for only Star Wars fans. From a scale of 1-4 (4 being the best), this book would fall under the category of 2. The book on the stars of Star Wars might appeal to someone who takes an interest on actors and actresses. This book includes information of Hayden Christensen (actor who plays Anakin), Natalie Portman (actress who plays Padmé) and Ewan McGregor (actor who plays Obi- Wan) and other stars of Star Wars. It also includes information on the costumes in Star Wars. The other two books (Anakin Apprentice, and Jedi Training and Trials Quiz book) are relatively simple books meant for children 6-8. These two books include pictures and text. Overall, I recommend that only Star Wars fans read this book.

Akiko in the Castle of Alia Rellapor is a humorous science fiction title aimed at 5th through 6th graders but of interest to older pre-teens that enjoy graphic novels or computer games. This easy to read “chapter” book (155 pages) captures the flavor of the popular Akiko comic book series, with black and white comic style illustrations, sound effects, lots of dialogue and little narrative. This is the second adventure of Akiko, a precocious 4th grader, who is transported to the Planet Smoo, where she and her non-human traveling companions attempt to rescue Prince Froptoppit from the Alia Rellapor’s castle. The first book in this series is Akiko and the Great Wall of Time. Akiko, a strong, level-headed girl who dresses in jeans and a T-shirt, is a nice role model for young girls but equally attractive to boys. This is a witty, quick read which would satisfy younger readers. It deserves a rating of 3.

Before you read this book, I'm going to ask you to do something that may seem a bit odd. Trust me; once you find out about the author, you'll better understand the often complex, always challenging nature of his first science fiction novel. Here's what I want you to do: visit his web site at http://www.jeapes.ndirect.co.uk/ Yes, Mr. Jeapes is British and this shows up throughout his writing. But as you can see from his web page, he is also a very, VERY free spirit. "The Xenocide Mission" is one of those rare young adult sci-fi books that respects the reader. Sure, it's got slam-bang action good enough to be brought to the attention of some Hollywood studio, but it's the characters that dominate the action, not the other way around. The year is 2154 and human beings have developed a race of robots known as 'First Breeds' (and also by a less-than-nice term 'Rustie') Lt. Joel Gilmore is introduced to the reader on the very first page as a young, inexperienced soldier finding himself in an impossible situation. Even with the aid of First Breed 'Boom Round', Lt. Gilmore is facing certain death....and you're only on Page Ten. Joel's father isn't doing much better; he's on a runaway space-ship carrying a Doomsday device and headed on a collision course with the sun. Ben Jeapes knows how to grab the reader on Page One and not let go until the action-packed, nail biting ending. Here is a new author to science fiction who will definitely make a place for himself in the small circle of intelligent sci-fi writers. Rating: 3 Gender appropriate: Both