Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

I enjoyed the premise for this middle grade sci-fi book, however the execution was a bit lacking for my taste. Basically, it boils down to having way too many characters and things and places and so on in a book that is under 300 pages. I spent at least half of the book confused and lost, and I’m a grown woman, so I wonder how well and 11 or 12-year-old would do with this. The concept of the Kobastickers kind of seemed like Pokémon to me, but I could be wrong. There is very little world building, and a lot of the concepts had little explanation. My other issue is that the pacing is way beyond fast paced, it’s more like frenetic paced. The kids zoom here and there and seven other places; it’s go go go.

Thank you to NetGalley & W.W. Norton & Company for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

An intriguing science fiction book for young and old. This is a good addition to the expansion of science fiction with other cultures intertwined (in this case African). Zero and his band of friends and their stickers will intrigue budding readers.

This book is an action packed space travel book that would definitely appeal to a lot of kids.

It is a bit slow to start, but really gets going about halfway through when the mission really picks up. This is a great book about friendship and being true to yourself. The culture that is intertwined into this story is very nice from an aspect of kids being able to see themselves as a part of the story.

I read this with my daughter and is a perfect level for interest and reading ability for later elementary school readers. Space mission complete!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

What worked:
The author creates a world somewhere in the galaxy by blending familiar terms along with new vocabulary. Zero lives in the City of Children after all the adults disappear following the Great Flash. He’s a human teen who is used to interacting with creatures coming in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Whizzers are spaceships used for flying to different planets and asteroids, and Kobastickers allow owners to wield a variety of abilities. Zero finds himself unexpectedly connected to a very rare Zodiac Kobasticker. He uses his laptop-like Goober to look up information, to watch his favorite show, “Saba Now”, and to apply for membership into different Saba guilds. Characters play video games, and references are made to an ancient planet (Earth) that used VCR tapes as weapons and pizza boxes full of unhealthy foods to poison people.
Zero is a kind character who dreams of exploring the galaxy as a Saba. He’s not supremely intelligent and he’s physically average, so it’s easy to connect with this “normal” young boy. Readers will sympathize with him since he’s an orphan struggling to survive in a world with no adults. He travels to a distant asteroid where he trains to become a Saba, an explorer of the galaxy. He ultimately wants to find out what happened to his first mentor, a famous Saba who’s missing and presumed dead. Zero struggles to master his Kobasticker and later learns there may be a reason for his problems. The history of his Kobasticker comes with complications, like bounty hunters who will kill for it, that add additional drama for readers to enjoy.
The author provides many obstacles to Zero’s mission, as the characters scamper to avoid the Space Force and later clash with the Space Mafia. Zero and his two mentors are faced with cryptic clues to follow, as they try to retrieve the Mask of the Shaman King before it’s used to free a long-imprisoned terror to the galaxy. They can’t always trust apparent friends, and that’s not just because transformation Kobastickers are available. Other people are searching for the mask and they will go to any extreme to get their hands on it. Zero and his friends are forced to escape death or imprisonment throughout the entire story.
What didn’t work as well:
The main conflict isn’t introduced until the middle of the book, so the first half of the story doesn’t have a destination to focus on. It’s my preference to have some idea of the problem earlier in the plot, but it may not bother others. It’s not really a big issue but it doesn’t work as well for me.
The Final Verdict:
Stay true to yourself. The story is exciting, creative, and fast-paced, especially in the second half of the book. The plot is familiar and easy to follow, so readers are able to focus on the entertaining descriptions and details the author incorporates. I recommend you give this book a shot, especially lovers of science fiction.

This was the perfect debut and I loved every bit of it! It was a great middle grade read that entangled African Myth and Culture in an all out intergalactic space treasure hunt. It was so funny and action packed!