Morning Everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve done a children’s time so I thought, “what they hey, why not now?!” And what better way to celebrate the beauty of children’s literacy than with the very talented Orson Scott Card.
Now.. before you run to the computer and click BUY (because HELLO it’s Orson!) Let me explain what this book is all about, because it IS NOT a normal Orson book.
1st of all… this is his very first collaboration with his daughter Emily Card. Cool right? But not only that…it’s MANGA! That’s right, this is NOT the pages and pages of words we have grown to expect from Orson, this is a comic book he wrote with his daughter specifically designed to keep your little ones entertained, and boy… let me tell you, it DOES!
Don’t believe me? Check out this picture of my son! He had this book for all of 20 minutes and REFUSED to set it down when it was time to go to the grocery store. If that doesn’t scream winner I don’t know what does.
So what about the story? Well, it’s about aliens… duh!
“Twenty-five years ago, the alien Givers came to Earth. They gave the human race the greatest technology ever seen— four giant towers known as Ladders that rise 36,000 miles into space and culminate in space stations that power the entire planet. Then, for reasons unknown, the Givers disappeared. Due to the unique alien construction of the Laddertop space stations, only a skilled crew of children can perform the maintenance necessary to keep the stations up and running.
Back on Earth, competition is fierce to enter Laddertop Academy. It is an honor few students will achieve. Robbi and Azure, two eleven-year-old girls who are the best of friends, are candidates for the Academy. They will become entangled in a dangerous mystery that may help them solve the riddle of the Givers…if it doesn’t destroy the Earth first!”
Now, I don’t expect (regarding this book anyways) for you to put all of your faith in what I have to say about this very cool, extremely interesting start to a manga series so I’ve decided to share a few other’s opinions as well:
“As a maker of visions and a creator of heroes… Card is not to be outdone.” – Library Journal
“With competent mangastyle illustrations by the award-winning Ibardolaza…approached as the first installment of an extended story, this stands as a worthy young adult adventure novel.” – Publishers Weekly
“A high-octane outer-space adventure…The main characters in this volume are largely female, strong and intelligent, a wonderful departure from male-dominated extraterrestrial offerings. Ibardolaza’s muscular art blends manga and Western aesthetics. An intriguing beginning; readers will clamor for the follow-up.” – Kirkus
So… with all of that said, who would like a little peak inside? You? Awesome… here you go!
Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites are remember: Reading is contagious…pass it on!
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[Rating:4.5/5] <–per my 7 year old son! 🙂
Kid-tested and mother-approved… I have this manga, too, so I just need to read it. It does look like a great story. Thanks for the review, Misty’s son!