Hunt for the Hydra

Hunt for the Hydra
by Jason Fry
Harper, 2014. 241 pgs. Science Fiction

First in The Jupiter Pirates series, Hunt for the Hydra is a goodish sci-fi-thriller with an unusual array of heroes and villains. For once, the earthlings are the bad guys. Tycho Hashoone, his twin sister Yana, and his older brother Carlo are vying for positions of importance in the family business, which is privateering. They hold a Letter of Marque from the Jovian Union giving them the right to move against Earth's merchant space fleet. The Jovian Union consists of a confederation of people living on Jupiter's moons, and their relationship with earth seems to be something similar to the American colonies and Great Britain, back in the day. In any case, the kids are full participants in the family business, including the dangers of that business, so they not only fly the ship, but take on enemy vessels as member of the boarding party. On one such mission, the captain pleads diplomatic immunity - he has an ambassador on board. But his "ambassador" and hundreds of newly-minted state department personnel seem to be crew members suddenly elevated in rank to protect their vessels from pirates. Soon Tycho and his family are sent into what would have been the Neutral Zone in Star Trek-speak to try to smoke out the notorious and dangerous pirate, Throadbone Max. Hunt for the Hydra is a good adventure story with appealing characters, but is slowed considerably by lots of talking to supply background information. Hopefully the sequel will move along a bit more briskly.

Comments

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog