Kyler doesn’t fit in with his family. His parents value the sports and activities his older twin brothers engage in, they turn their backs when his brothers bully him, and the don’t seem to see the value of Kyler reading. When Kyler accidentally steals his family ship and heads to Fasti, he encounters some pirates trying to steal his ship. Rescued by Fig, a mutant wanderer girl, he discovers that the pirates also stole a star injected with dark matter. That they were hired by the manufacturer himself, Quasar Niatrix, to destroy Earth and blame the mutants. To make matters worse, Kyler’s ship gets damaged on his way back to save Earth and Fig seems to be hiding some important information. Can Kyler save Earth and stop Quasar? What is Fig really up to? Action-packed, filled with cliffhangers, and humorous, the plot is engaging and impossible to put down. The characters are realistic, lovable, and easily draw the reader into the story. Fans of Melissa Landers, science fiction, humor, and adventure will enjoy reading this book.

Kyler would like four things: his brothers to stop picking on him, his parents to actually listen to him for once, for people to stop getting his name wrong, and to go to the Fasti Sun Festival. Well, when he accidentally steals his parents' spaceship (yes, accidentally; it was much easier than it should have been...), he's determined to get that last one.

Orphan and homeless Figerella (call her 'Fig') is a fantastic sharpshooter, strapped for cash, and fed up with being discriminated against for being a Wanderer--descendants of humans who left Earth to live in space, mutated from living in space for so long. So when she is given a job offer too good to pass up, she doesn't care about who wants her to blow up an artificial sun or why. She just heads to Fasti, looking for a ship to steal.

Kyler and Fig end up on an adventure of a lifetime, facing pirates, cruel Wanderers from Fig's past, and corrupt businessmen, all the while learning more about family, friendship, and the universe.

A wonderful first middle-grade novel from Melissa Landers who has proven her sci-fi skills with her fantastic teen novels, "Blastaway" is an out-of-this-world tale about a finding your place in the galaxy and the importance of family.

While I never got the chance to read Alienated, I have read Lander’s romance novels so when I heard about Blastaway, I was immediately onboard. I expected something akin to Alienated (even though I hadn’t read it) and in my excitement, missed that Blastaway wasn’t YA. It is middle grade. I read middle grade so that didn’t really turn me off but this book wouldn’t really hit the mark for adult middle grade readers the way it would for middle grade middle grade readers – aka the intended demographic of the book.

Blastaway is incredibly cute and I love that it uses its sci-fic setting to draw attention to very real world issues in an accessible manner to younger readers. My biggest issue – keeping in mind that I was not the intended audience – was that a lot of the science was lax? There were many things that weren’t really thought out evolution-wise when it came to wanderers. This wouldn’t even have been a particularly difficult problem to fix, the book could have been set way way way into the future rather than just 500 years.

It also heavily relied on pop culture references from this century even though the book is set 500 years in the future. This is definitely me being nit-picky because I realize that having those references makes this futuristic world more accessible to younger readers but for me, it took away from the sci-fic experience. I wish that instead of trying to tone down this world, Landers explored it a bit more and tried to ground readers in it in other ways.

The plot is also riddled with lucky coincidences that propels it forward without having to work around the struggles of being two runaway children on a ship on their own, trying to stop an evil plan to take over the universe and potentially harm both humans and wanderers.

So, Blastaway is not a particularly dense book but I do love that it also explores familial relationships as well as friendships. Kyler struggles a lot with finding a place within his family. He constantly feels like an outcast and pre-teen hormones probably don’t make navigating those relationships easy. It’s definitely clear to the reader that his family loves him just the way he is but I loved watching him come to terms with that. I also loved his and Fig’s blooming friendship. They are both very stubborn people and I loved that even though they were quick to become friends, they also had their ups and downs.

Overall, I feel like this book would be more appropriate for elementary school readers rather than middle school ones because this book feels younger than the ages of its characters. The kids who love adventures sans adults, love the running away from home stories (as I did at those ages) will gobble this book up.

Kyler is misunderstood because he is a science geek in a family of sports-obsessed brothers who love all things rough and tumble. He really wants to attend the Fasti Sun Festival but his family could care less and they don't agree with the festival founder's politics so he "borrows" the family space cruiser and takes an adventure of a lifetime. Meanwhile, Fig is an orphan who will take on any star blasting job she can get just to survive. When she agrees to blow up this particular asteroid and meets Kyler, things get complicated. The two couldn't have less in common other than to make it out of this whole thing in one piece. There are plenty of trust issues to explore as well as not fitting into the world that others have set for you but mostly it is a wild adventure filled with pirates, space and plenty of near misses with bad guys on every page.

This was a fun romp through space. It was also a story about finding your place in the universe. It was action packed and certainly will keep young readers entertained and coming back for more.

Both Kyler and Fig were ver likable kids. Kyler feels left out of his family, because none of his siblings share his interest in science. His parents don’t seem to understand him either, and often interpret his wanting to spend time alone puzzling. Why can’t he just get along with his brothers. Fig on the other hand, doesn’t have any family. She yearns to be accepted and understood. When Kyler and Fig meet, they do connect. But as the story unfolds they have to mire through all of the lies and difficulties to become friends and trust each other.

Kyler’s family was somewhat one dimensional. His brothers are rather brutish, and their behavior sometimes borders on the abusive side, as only older brothers can be. Ky’s parents were also a bit puzzling to me. They just wanted everyone to get along and just didn’t seem to understand Ky at all.

The space pirates that Ky and Fig have to deal with were also one dimensional, but they were often used to add comedic moments to the narrative. But I liked them, as far as you can like pirates that are out to destroy the world.

The plot of the story is pretty straight forward. There were some pretty funny moments, like when the pirates try to steal Ky’s ship and they are thwarted by him in some pretty ingenious ways. Some of the science is a little bit far fetched, such as scientist being able to ‘create’ stars and tow them around the universe. But if you are willing to look past that, then you are in for a fun time.

There were a few times when the story got a little bit heavy on the commentary. For example, Ky’s father was obsessed with the villain of the story who wanted to run earth like a business. Also, the situation surrounding the treatment of Wanderers. They are a group of people whose ancestors left earth a long time ago, to live space. They are not allowed to come back and live on earth and are treated rather shabbily by all. These issues were all brought up throughout the story, but there wasn’t really any solutions. But these issues never overshadowed the main plot, which was good.

Overall this was a fun and engaging middle grade story with interesting characters and an exciting and fast moving plot.

Blastaway by Melissa Landers is a blast from the future, where space travel is as simple as plane travel. In this future world most people have a space shuttle and they use them to visit family members who are living on new planets. Scientist have learned how to create suns, and humans whose ancestors left Earth to travel through space aren’t allowed back (now called Wanderers). Kyler Centaurus is from Earth, and Figerella “Fig” Jammeslot is a Wanderer. When they meet in the middle of a sun robbing plot, Kyler’s runaway trip into space, and Fig’s attempt to find a ship of her own things obviously go awry.

You may be able to tell from that summary alone that this book has a lot going on in it. Surprisingly, despite thinking I had reached the climax of the story multiple times before I finally did, the story came together fairly nicely. All of the many pieces were tied up by the end, resulting in the conveniently obtained happy ending. In order to get to this point, however, a lot of very convenient, lucky, and hard to believe events needed to take place. Let’s just take a minute to figure out how two thirteen year olds manage to continuously outsmart every adult in the book.

My biggest struggle with this book was the very political overtones that were a clear commentary on our current situation. I mean the first page throws this at you, “the man knew how to run a business. A lot of folks thought that was what Earth needed, to be run like a company.” The problem was not that this political commentary was there, but that it could have been done better. The political issues in this book (a direct correlation to America’s current political climate), are resolved far to easily, with the message that the good guys always win. I’m sorry, but this is definitely not the case in politics, and if we are going to resolve the country’s current issues it is going to take a lot more than two thirteen year olds accidentally preventing a disaster.

Overall, this would be an enjoyable read for the middle grade audience. It has friendship, family, and a whole lot of action. The characters are very relatable, especially Kyler, struggling with typical teenage, my life sucks, problems. And, the world certainly draws you into the action. Most science fiction fans will find themselves drawn into this over the top, exciting, space mission.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus



Usagi lives in a world where some children are born with extraordinary powers, either ones that are animal like qualities or work with the elements. She lives with her younger sister Uma and friend Toma, since her parents were killed when the Dragonlord took over and outlawed anyone with powers. Times are very hard, and the children survive by stealing food and trading it for necessities through Aunt Bobo. When they bring her some rice to trade, they watch a performance by musicians, and Aunt Bobo's yougn son Jago floats up into the air. The soliders capture him, and eventually get Toma and Uma as well. Usagi needs to get her sister and friend back, and when she comes across bandits Saru and Nezu, she joins forces with them. They are descendants of The Twelve, Warrior Heirs, and live on Mount Jade where they are trained by the Tigress and are attempting to gather the Twelve Treasures and keep them safe from the Dragonlord. Usagi has to undergo some trials before she can even be allowed onto Mount Jade, and must then go through extensive training before she and the Warrior Heirs can infiltrate the training site where her sister is held. Getting to the city is difficult, and when the group finally makes it into the training facility, Usagi finds that her sister and friend are enjoying living there and are angry at Usagi for abandoning them. Will Usagi and the other Warrior Heirs be able to rescue the children being trained from being sacrificed instead, and will the Dragonlord be allowed to continue his reign of terror?
Strengths: Even with the refreshing number of fantasy books that are not clones of Lord of the Rings, it's still hard to find ones that stand out. This one does. It incorporates elements traditional to fantasy book, but puts a nice spin on them. The details of a world where the Chinese zodiac influences some children's powers related to the animals is described in a way that made me believe it right away. I was very glad to see that Uma liked the training facility-- that's a good twist! There's a voyage similar to classic medieval quests, training similar to Jeff Stone's Five Ancestors books, and enough food that Flanagan's Will and the Rangers wouldn't go hungry!(Although they might need to bring their own coffee!) The plot moved along quickly, and I didn't get too confused, which is always a plus when it comes to fantasy. I'm sure this will be a series, and that's okay!
Weaknesses: It would have added an extra layer of interest to have more details about life in China, and maybe an idea of a time frame for the setting. (You can tell I'm more interested in historical fiction than in fantasy!)
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, and already have several students in mind to whom I want to hand this right away!

Fig is a tough young Wanderer who's been on her own since her parents died a few years ago. When Fig accepts a contract to blow up a star for some rogue pirates she never dreams that she'll run into a young runaway human boy. Kyler is a nerdy misfit, even in his family he feels out of place, so when he discovers that he's stolen a spaceship in his sleep he doesn't turn around but keeps on going. Klyer's biggest dream is to see the Fasti Sun Festival and this might be his only chance. When the two meet they discover there's more to Fig's job and the Sun Festival than they know about. Despite their differences they will have to team up to save the world.

Melissa Landers gives us realistic and fun main characters whose friendship grows as they learn to respect each other and work together. Told in alternating POV's, the readers should be able to get a sense of both Ky and Fig and can relate to both. I found that I did relate to both, but sometimes the only reason I knew who was speaking was because of context and not a real difference in narrative voice. In other words, both POVs sounded the same, they seemed to view the action from the same place, despite their disparate backgrounds and culture. I would love to see a sequel to this book and that is one area that could definitely be improved. Another thing I'd love to see in a sequel is more about Kyler's family. They really are more stereotype and caricature in this book than fleshed out characters. But, they don't need to be for the plot line to work well.

This book was at times funny and touching with a lot of adventure thrown in the mix. It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it!

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this ebook from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was initially drawn to this book by the cover and I’m so glad I was. I found myself enjoying this book so much that by the end I was hoping it would be part of a series so that I could read more of the adventures of Ky and Fig.

This is the perfect book for anyone who has ever felt like they just didn’t belong. Kyler is struggling to find his place in a family where no one shares his interests while Fig is struggling to find a place to call home. Their struggles were very different, but each was given the opportunity to express their feelings and not be made to feel as though their problems don’t matter.

This book does a great job of blending drama, comedy, and adventure. I loved that Kyler was so interested in science and hope that kids will read this and take an interest in it as well. And Fig’s confidence and street smarts show young audiences that you don’t necessarily have to be book smart in order to make a positive difference in the world. The best part was when these characters had to work together using both of their strengths in their battle against the bad guys. I really liked that the stakes were high and by the end the characters so selfless.

The story moves smoothly and has enough action that it keeps you engaged (and sometimes on the edge of your seat). It’s one of those rare books that will appeal to both boys and girls.

The message of accepting and befriending people who may be different than yourself is an important one for young readers. Melissa Landers gets this across without it feeling like a lecture or that she’s beating people over the head with it. I also liked the ‘never meet your heroes’ part as well because it reminds you that you don’t what goes on with a person outside the spotlight and that sometimes you need to separate the person from their work (in this age of social media and celebrity worship this seems an especially important subject for young children and adolescents).

I would strongly recommend this for classroom and school libraries!

This book was a read aloud with my son and boy did we both enjoy it! This was a fun action paced book that kept the both of us guessing and anticipating what would happen next. I truly hope we will see more from this author because she has a way of writing where both mom and child are engaged.

This book was received as an ARC from Disney Book Group in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book as I was reading it reminded me a lot of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but the youthful version. Also if Hitchhiker's and Wall-E had a child, it would be this book. Everything from Kyler's interest in the Fasti Sun Festival and his family's lack of interest in space, to meeting Fig and her path to get back to earth and the adventures they ensue. This book is filled with action and adventure that is sure to get all children wanting more. I am sure though at some point, this will turn into a Disney movie.

We will definitely consider adding this title to our JFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.