Bookworm for Kids: The Martian Girl

Showing posts with label The Martian Girl. Show all posts

Friday, August 14, 2015

Review: Aoléon The Martian Girl Part 3 by Brent LeVasseur

Aoléon

The Martian Girl Part 3

by Brent LeVasseur

Aoléon Press

Middle Grade

Science Fiction

144 pages

Aoléon and Gilbert investigate the Luminon to try and uncover the plot to invade Earth to steal it’s milk cows. In the process, they discover a disturbing revelation about the Martian leader. After overhearing the Luminon discuss his plans to use sabotage to disrupt Mars’s galact supply, the duo races to try and to warn Aoléon’s father Deimos, who is a manager at the galactworks plant before the saboteur can act.

Meanwhile, Aoleon has to take her pilots exam, which would enable her to eventually join the Martian intergalactic explorational fleet. However, during the test-run, something goes horribly wrong. The two are put in a life threatening situation that only Bizwat, a Procyon commando, and Aoléon’s friend can save them from.

Gilbert finally gets his chance to learn to skyboard. However, things go horribly wrong and they are chased by the Royal Paladin guard.

Will they survive?

Join Aoleon and Gilbert in this exciting middle-grade scifi adventure story to Mars and beyond!

MY TIDBITS

After getting to know Gilbert and Aoleon in the first two books and a little bit about life on Mars, it was fun to jet off with this book into a faster paced adventure. Finally, Gilbert and Aoleon are figuring out what they're up against, and they've got their hands full.

This is my favorite book in the series so far (the first two gave more an introduction to Gilbert and Aoleon as well as daily life on Mars). But where those books lacked on plot, this one reels it all back in and doesn't disappoint. Not only does the plot gain on pace, but there's a nice mixture of mystery and suspense thrown in. This adds a whole new dimension to the story, one that is sure to draw kids in and keep them hooked for the next book in the series. It feels like the story has finally shifted into hyerdrive and the real ride has begun.

The illustrations, like in the books before, are colorful and add a lot to the story. My kids enjoy glancing over all of them several times and telling their own version of the story before hitting the real, written version. It's not hard to get caught up in Gilbert and Aoleon's adventures and shoot off through space with them. Even the descriptions draw in, making certain details unforgettable as new aliens and schemes are introduced.

Although intended for the middle grade audience, the writing easily gears for older readers. The vocabulary can, at times, go to higher levels as well as the scientific concepts behind several things. Although not all middle grade readers will necessarily understand everything, I doubt they'll mind. There's such a delightful mixture of adventure, humor and a little douse of warming family and friendship which really makes this story worth reading.

My only complaint is the cliff-hanger ending. I'm not a huge fan of those simply because I hate having to wait to see what will happen next. And this time, I can't wait to dive into book 4.

THE BUZZ!

In LeVasseur's debut middle-grade sci-fi novel, a friendly extraterrestrial girl whisks a Nebraska farm boy away for a wild adventure of Martian intrigue, rebellion and invasion." -Kirkus Reviews

ALSO AVAILABLE:

The Martian Girl Song!

Another World - Single

Featuring Élan Noelle

Download on iTunes

And here he is. . .

BRENT LEVASSEUR!!!

Mr. LeVasseur enjoys crafting good stories based on lovable characters designed to translate well to multiple media formats such as books, games, movies, and toys. He lives in New York when he is not commuting between Southern California and Olympus Mons, Mars. His hobbies include writing, 3D animation, musical composition, and intergalactic space travel. He also enjoys various sports such as skiing, running, and exospheric skydiving.

Connect with Brent: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Aoléon: The Martian Girl

Friday, July 31, 2015

Review of Aoléon The Martian Girl Part 2 by Brent LeVasseur

Aoléon

The Martian Girl Part 2

by Brent LeVasseur

Aoléon Press

Middle Grade

Science Fiction

132 pages

Gilbert never knew that school could be so dangerous!

Determined to accompany his new friend, Aoleon, wherever she goes, Gilbert soon finds himself back in school – at the Martian Space Academy. There he’s introduced to Martian society, hears a history lesson on the Draconian and Andromedan races, and even gets invited to a psiball match. But Gilbert soon finds out it’s not all fun and games. Not only is Aoleon’s arch nemesis, Charm Lepton, determined to make sure that Aoleon doesn’t make it through the psiball game, but Gilbert also comes under attack when a mysterious force attempts to control him.

Do our two heroes have what it takes to survive?

Find out in this exciting middle-grade science fiction adventure that’s sure to please young readers!

MY TIDBITS

This is a fun continuation from book 1 (although it's easy to get wrapped into this story even without the first book). Gilbert, the boy from Earth, gets a good douse of what life on Mars is all about, and what a fun life it is!

Tons of imagination has been put into this alien colony and a nice amount of humor as well. The world is in some ways familiar, but then built up even more until even little things become super fantastic. Kids will eat it up and let their own imaginations soar as they experience all these amazing things right along with Gilbert. Then, there's the added bit of slap-stick comedy--my son finds these parts hilarious and was laughing out loud.

Where book one was mostly about adventure, book two gives the reader time to get to know Aoleon better. We meet her family, her friends and get a glance into her everyday life. She's nice and sweet but has her little quirks which make her easy to love.

The action moves a little slower in this book, but that doesn't mean it's any less exciting. Rather, the descriptions and chance to experience alien life make this interesting and kept my son and I turning from one page to the next. We get to meet several new characters, not all of which have good intentions. And little by little, we are given glimpses at the bigger problem Aoleon and Gilbert will be facing later in the series. The main plot does stretch over the entire series, making the individual books feel more like stepping stones.

The illustrations are as vivid as the descriptions, bringing the whole story to life. They add tons of color to Mars and give the entire story that extra boost, which is sure to draw kids in. There are moments where some of the technical explanations get a bit heavy, and I wonder if it doesn't go a bit too deep for the intended age group--my son tried to understand the paragraphs at first but quickly shrugged the explanation off, skipped the section and went on (and he's actually a space geek). But there's a nice glossary at the end to help out those who really want to dive into the definitions and reasoning behind Aoleon's strange world.

All in all, this is an imaginative adventure which will let kids take flight and dream of their own future trips to Mars.

THE BUZZ!

Another World - Single

Featuring Élan Noelle

Download on iTunes

And here he is. . .

BRENT LEVASSEUR!!!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Review: Aoléon The Martian Girl by Brent LeVasseur

Aoléon

The Martian Girl Part 1

by Brent LeVasseur

Aoléon Press

Middle Grade

Science Fiction

125 pages

Mars wants our cows (yes, cows!) and they're sending an invasion fleet to take them from us. Only Gilbert and Aoleon the Martian Girl stand in their way!

Gilbert always longed for adventure but now that he has it, he's not sure that it's everything it's cracked up to be. Ever since the night he met Aoleon the Martian Girl sitting in the middle of a crop circle in Farmer Johnson's field, it's been nothing but one wild ride after another.

From fighting off swarms of giant killer robots to dealing with strange aliens from another world, never mind trekking across the vast Martian desert in order to skyboard deep into the center of a (hopefully!) extinct volcano, Gilbert's had his hand full just trying to keep up with it all. And now it's up to him and his new friend, Aoleon, to face off against the evil Martian overlord and keep our cows safe at home where they belong.

The launch of this exciting and innovatively illustrated new series takes the reader deep into the heart of an unforgettable and out-of-this-world friendship in a story full of hijinks, hilarity, and good old-fashioned fun. Join Gilbert and Aoleon in this exciting middle grade science fiction adventure today!

MY TIDBITS

My first impression was 'Wow!'. The cover is amazing and draws in right away. It sticks out and screams 'grab me and take a peek'. And that's exactly what a cover should do. The illustrations follow suit from there. They are vibrant, full of color and look like they're right out of the latest computer animated movie. My son loved them, especially the planet shots.

The story itself shoots off with a cosmic bang! It was cute to watch the connection with the field circles and see the not so deep and unexpected reasons why a young mars girl creates them. We get a little bit of a feeling for Gilbert and Aoleon (at least, we learn Aoleon has a good heart despite her adventurous side) before they head off in her spaceship together on a wild ride.

The plot is fast paced. Really fast. The characters dodge with the spaceship from one hairy situation into the next, and in the process, visit a couple interesting places around the world. It reminded me of an action scene taken out of a movie and held the tension and humor of one too. With short scene changes, we're taken from Aoleon's spaceship as she tries to maneuver her way out of the chase to NASA to a boy in Chicago's apartment to the White House and other places. These scene and point of view changes made for hilarious moments but at times, seemed like a movie trying to add interesting shots. My biggest complaint was that this chase thing simply went too long. The book only has 118 pages and this scene went all the way to page 70. First, then did the reader head to Mars and learn of the real intrigue (which we got just a taste of here and seems to be continued in book 2). This isn't a high plot book, but then, it wasn't designed to be.

The characters are fun. Aoleon has a great mixture of mischief, heart and curiosity. If a kid had to run into anyone from Mars, she'd definitely be the alien of choice. Gilbert, the main character, falls short in her shadow. . .but what boy wouldn't when set up with a Martian girl like her? There isn't much character depth to either one and that makes it hard to really care about what happens to them (sympathize with them) but this isn't a story about heart, it's one of action. And that is done well.

The writing itself is as fast-paced as the plot. The language is modern day and hits just the right amount of details to let the reader dive into the world and see it happening around them. The vocabulary itself is difficult. I appreciated the glossary at the back to help with some words, and I'm a total supporter of having 'bigger' words mixed in to help strengthen a kid's vocabulary (after all, if they don't learn it while reading, then when?) But there are terms which really streamed past any middle graders (and most YAers) vocabulary and were simply thrown in as if the kids would understand. My son found this frustrating, and he's a complete science/space nerd.

This is a book, which from the cover, promises fast-paced, modern graphic adventure, and that's exactly what it gives. It would be great for reluctant readers if it weren't for the vocabulary hang-ups. The illustrations are perfect, modern day wonders and there are lots of extras including a downloadable song available, making it perfect for today's marketing main stream. The illustrations on almost every page are amazing, making this a potential great grab for kids who shy away from thicker books. Can't wait to see what happens in the next books, since the real plot appears to only have begun.

THE BUZZ!