VOYAGERS SERIES
Book 1: PROJECT ALPHA by DJ MacHale, in stores now
Book 2: GAME OF FLAMES by Robin Wasserman, releases November 3
THE VOYAGERS EXPERIENCE prize pack
Get the full Voyagers experience! One (1) winner receives:
· The first two books in the series;
· Branded iPhone6 case and home GadgetGrip button to deck out your device while experiencing the Voyagers app.
Samples and prizing are provided by Random House Children’s Books.
To enter to win:
Make sure I have a way to let you know if you've won (e mail, Twitter handle, etc.) and answer this question in a comment by 11/6: What special skills would you bring to a Voyagers mission?
Wasserman, Robin. Game of Flames (Voyagers #2)
November 3rd 2015 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by publisher
Dash and his crew are back after Project Alpha. They are headed to Magnus 7 to obtain the second element needed to provide power to Earth, but run into Anna and her team who are in a ship that seems eerily similar to the Cloud Leopard. Dash thinks that the two groups could work together and have a better chance of, you know, SAVING HUMANITY, but Anna's team is more concerned with winning. Undaunted, the Cloud Leopard takes off. When they arrive at the planet, they need to figure out how to get the lava on board their ship, but are soon embroiled in a battle between two rulers on the planet, and their skills at dodging obstacles come in handy. Soon, however, they find that there is more going on. Can they deal with the interpersonal relationships while making sure they don't get stranded far out in space? More importantly, can they find the next element and save the planet? We'll know more when Omega Rising comes out in January.
Strengths: We do find out who is behind Anna's ship, and there is a nice twist with an evil character brought to the plate. Also a nice twist with the creator of Magnus 7, and lots and lots of action. Piper gets some excellent moments in her hover chair, and Carly has some understandable reluctance to travel to the surface of the planet. There is an online presence for the books as well, https://www.voyagershq.com/bookseries.html, but I haven't investigated it fully.
Weaknesses: This does a little better job at going beyond the standard science fiction tropes, although we do finally get an Alien Among Us. No Russians, though!
Weaknesses: This does a little better job at going beyond the standard science fiction tropes, although we do finally get an Alien Among Us. No Russians, though!
What I really think: These stories are good enough that they shouldn't be produced in such crappy bindings. I know, I know: publishers exist to make money, but it makes no sense to gather such great authors, get a decent series put together, and then have them available in a binding so bad that the first book will be in tatters before the last book is published ten months later. Grr. That's my pet peeve growling!
COLLECT THE WHOLE SERIES
BOOK 1: PROJECT ALPHA BY D.J. MacHale [out now]
BOOK 2: GAME OF FLAMES BY Robin Wasserman [11/03/15]
BOOK 3: OMEGA RISING BY Patrick Carmen [01/05/16]
BOOK 4: INFINITY RIDERS BY Kekla Magoon [03/01/16]
BOOK 5: ESCAPE THE VORTEX BY Jeanne DuPrau [03/01/16]
BOOK 6: THE SEVENTH ELEMENT BY Wendy Mass [05/03/16]
LEARN MORE
Learn more at Voyagers HQ
Follow the authors on Twitter:
#VoyagersHQ
The series sounds great for a certain group of kids, Karen. I hear you about the bindings. Being stuffed in those 'full' backpacks gives books a beating.
ReplyDeleteI've been interested in this series, but haven't actually taken the time to read them yet. I'm mainly just interested in it because, as you said, they've got some really great authors writing the books, though I do think the story idea itself could be pretty cool if done properly. These look a lot like Scholastic's 39 Clues series, which I loved to pieces when I was younger.
ReplyDeleteLet's see, if I were part of a Voyagers mission I would bring my brain! I'm pretty good at mastering things, so I'd probably be helpful when it came to running the computers and coming up with ways to get out of tight spots.
Or I might completely freeze up and assume a deer-in-the-headlight expression at the first sign of danger. You know, it's one of the two. :) If I win, my e-mail address is ireadtilldawnATgmailDOTcom.
I just got book one recently when I heard D.J. talking about it. Haven't had a chance to read it yet though. It sounds like it could be a popular series among my 4th and 5th graders. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteUGH I know what you mean about binding - it's a pet peeve of mine, too! Especially when you're publishing kids books - come on, we all know the punishment that those poor books have to take, being stuffed into lockers and backpacks, falling behind the bed, being stepped on or ending up in the mouth of the family dog! :)
ReplyDeleteOne of my librarian friends starts out using a heavy stapler before some books from some popular series have even hit the shelves. I tape the spines and pray for the best. I agree with you that it is seriously irritating when books fall apart after a few reads.
ReplyDeleteAside from all that, this series looks like an interesting addition to our collection. Thanks
Your comment entry request is way more interesting than mine. I am jealous.
ReplyDeleteI've been looking forward to read this series since I heard a lot of good things about it and I want to find out myself how good it really is! As for the giveaway question, the special skills I would love to bring on a voyagers mission are ability to hack and being trained in Martial Arts!
ReplyDeleteI think having a photographic memory will definitely be a big help in a voyager's mission!
ReplyDeleteThese books sound fabulous for kids who love adventure stories.
ReplyDelete