Phoenix

Reviewed by: Mary Lehmer - Freeport Community Library, Freeport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 5, 2016

Review

This story is about a human boy named Lucky that is dreaming one night he is flying through the stars and it is so warm, only to wake up and notice he has burned a hole in his sheet and he has no idea how it happened. But when his mom sees it, she doesn't tell him why, only that the two of them have to leave the planet they are on, Phoenix, right away. And the only way to do that is to find a space ship piloted by the Axxa aliens that will take them on as passengers, which will be tricky as humans and the Axxa do not get along. This is an action packed book that has fighting, space travel, and stars that seem to be alive. The Axxa Lucky meets aren't nice to him right off which was totally real, but they help him because it's the right thing to do. As he gets to know them better, he begins to wonder if they are really the evil beings he thought they were. Parts of the book are actually funny, but the war between the Axxa and humans means there is death and sadness as well. There are cool mysterious black and white drawings throughout the book that capture the feeling of what is going on with the stars, a key element to the whole story. Sci-fi and fantasy readers won't want to miss this one.

Overall Book Score: excellent