04/03/2017
In this SF thriller, the world’s best and brightest youths become its last line of defense after they’re taken to the Moon to participate in a scholarship program at the behest of a wealthy philanthropist. For Benny, who has grown up in a caravan community amid the desert wastelands of California, it’s a chance to change his family’s fortunes as well as play with the best toys, including the luxurious, tech-laden Space Runners, cars capable of interplanetary travel. At the Lunar Taj, he befriends daredevil Hot Dog, hacker Ramona, and obnoxiously confident Drue, but their curiosity to investigate the Moon’s secrets brings them face-to-face with the real reason they’ve been gathered together. Kraatz (the Cloak Society series) maintains a satisfying balance of action, intrigue, and wonder in this first book in the Space Runners series. Memorably entertaining characters play well against the tense premise and high stakes. Although some of the worldbuilding is glossed over, such as the current state of affairs on Earth, this remains an enjoyable adventure. A Full Fathom Five property. Ages 8–12. Agent: Eric Simonoff, William Morris Endeavor. (May)
Space Runners is Gravity meets The Fast and the Furious, only with kids running the show. Kraatz’s lunar world feels like a theme park waiting to happen. A blockbuster mix of thrills, adrenaline, and lead characters who are as clever as they are courageous.” — Soman Chainani, New York Times bestselling author of The School for Good and Evil
“I’d race to the moon and back to get a copy of this thrilling, funny, and ingenious book!” — C. Alexander London, author of The Wild Ones and the Dog Tags series
“Kraatz maintains a satisfying balance of action, intrigue, and wonder in this first book in the Space Runners series. Memorably entertaining characters play well against the tense premise and high stakes.” — Publishers Weekly
“Fun, fast-paced, and filled with excellent inventions, this is sure to please sci-fi buffs. Deeper questions of war and peace and how to lead will stay with readers far beyond the last page. Otherworldly adventure that satisfies.” — Kirkus Reviews
“An action-packed space romp that’s sure to please young science fiction readers. Engaging characters, fast-paced storytelling, and keen enjoyment of the genre produce an altogether entertaining read.” — School Library Journal
“Offers a passel of tasty elements: zippy space chases, a diverse cast of kids, complex humans, and intriguing aliens whose perspective isn’t so different from that of humans. That’s a lot of enjoyment, and the sequel will likely be eagerly anticipated.” — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
PRAISE FOR THE SERIES: “Dark Side of the Moon continues to deliver wild future tech with kid appeal and nonstop action. The accessible writing and relatable characters will have readers turning pages to the end. Great fun.” — School Library Journal
I’d race to the moon and back to get a copy of this thrilling, funny, and ingenious book!
Space Runners is Gravity meets The Fast and the Furious, only with kids running the show. Kraatz’s lunar world feels like a theme park waiting to happen. A blockbuster mix of thrills, adrenaline, and lead characters who are as clever as they are courageous.
07/01/2017
Gr 4–6—An action-packed space romp that's sure to please young science fiction readers. It's 2085, and Benny Love has spent most of his life on Earth scavenging in arid desert lands, just trying to survive. When he wins a once-in-a-lifetime scholarship that will send him to the moon's first lunar resort to study and invent, it's a dream come true. On a moonbase full of spacefaring cars, high-tech holograms, and temperamental AIs, Benny and his new friends compete against other kids in challenges meant to hone their skills. But all is not as it seems at Lunar Taj. Benny and his teammates discover that are secrets on the dark side of the moon, which could endanger everyone back on Earth. Despite familiar science fiction tropes and elements, the author's engaging characters, fast-paced storytelling, and keen enjoyment of the genre produce an altogether entertaining read. VERDICT Newcomers to science fiction will find this an accessible jumping-off point from which to explore more titles in the genre. Hand this to fans of Monica Tesler's Earth Force Rising and Sophia McDougall's Mars Evacuees.—Stephanie Whelan, New York Public Library
2017-02-20
Two weeks spent at a luxury resort on the moon prove to be much more dangerous than a group of young people can imagine.In the year 2085, eccentric inventor Elijah West invites 100 young people from around the world to spend two weeks at the Lunar Taj. Twelve-year-old Benny Love is one of the lucky scholarship winners. But while the experience promises to be out of this world, the $1 million given to each recipient will change the future for Benny's nomadic family, which roams the Drylands that were once the United States' West Coast. Once on the moon, the scholarship winners—from as far away as the Middle East, South America, and Japan—pilot Space Runners, reverse bungee jump, and compete for West's attention and a place in his Pit Crew. But in all the fun, Benny discovers something that threatens not only the Taj, but the Earth. Holograms, artificial intelligence, and space-travel tech abound, but the familiar plot, cut-and-paste characters, and flat setting are stale. Even Benny, while likable, is a bit too good to be true, as Kraatz mines his background (poor and motherless, with a dad who insists on looking on the bright side) for his sterling qualities. Perhaps the promised sequel will be more out of this world. A cosmic adventure that fails to attain escape velocity. (Science fiction. 8-12)
