Review: Sci Fi for Kids
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 27, 2013
The beginning of the story starts with a middle school teacher, Carol and goes on about her thoughts of school shootings and taking her morning run. She's worried about injuring her knee and then, while in thought, misses the fact that a man is staring at her from a property across the street. I never found out who the man was in this book.One of Carol's students is Kenneth. Kenneth is a problem child who doesn't have many friends, but he seems like a relatable character. His kindness for a worm proves that he has a big heart despite his spiny exterior. When Kenneth meets a schoolmate, Savannah, he proves how much of a loner he is.The story moves on slowly up until Kenneth is waiting for his bus and a chasm appears in the classroom. Out of the chasm comes a spaceman, and I'm wondering where the story is about to go.When Kenneth is abducted, he doesn't seem too surprised, and asks for food. He does, however, dislike school and that seems to be the reason he's comfortable being where he is. There isn't any threat to him either.The next character, Unquill is an interesting one and the story he tells is beyond belief.  Speak about a near Armageddon is alluring.  I'm wondering what these two abducted children will be able to do about anything, or if they should do anything. It seems the world Unquill describes in the 73rd century would be most unpleasant.Further along in the story, I'm not real certain of where the characters are. Are they on a ship floating through space? If the space travelers are so far advanced, why is the technology they use still known to the children? Such as power cords and faulty computers? Perhaps this will make sense later.There are another few pages of thick reading, but then a secret is revealed about Unquill's identity that brings the story back to life. Next, Unquill and the children are whisked away to a futuristic city. I'm curious about how the relationship between the kids will play out, since they get married at some point in the future.Overall, it's a deep read, with many ideas and aspects of science, time and age. In some cases, too many players are introduced, such as Councils and other proper nouns; and too many ideas at once. I'd like to see things unfold in a cleaner manner. There are many unanswered questions in this piece, so I'm curious to see what happens next and how Carol will fit into things.