Third-grader Eudora wants nothing more than to be an engineer. Luckily for her, she lives in the perfect place to test out her many ambitious experiments—a spaceship! EUDORA SPACE KID: The Great Engine Room Takeover, kicks off a new sci-fi series for young readers with a bang, as Eudora alternates between introducing readers to her world and getting into mischief. Instead of confining her engineering tests to her space classroom, Eudora decides to break a hyperdrive speed record by tampering with the spaceship engine itself. Her curiosity and resourcefulness drive the story forward, making Eudora an excellent model for inquisitive kids who love science.
David Horn’s EUDORA SPACE KID focuses more on the clever tricks she pulls in order to conduct her unauthorized experiments than on the scientific process itself, giving the book more of a sci-fi than a STEM (Science, Tech, engineering, mathematics) focus. Horn effectively builds a captivating setting, with a Star Trek-esque AstroFleet of questing spaceships that explore the galaxy. In spite of this serious mission, hijinks abound; for example, Cafeteria 2 is known for its epic food fights. And while Eudora is human, many of the characters—including a grumpy ship officer and her patient but stern mother—are human-animal hybrid aliens. Horn’s description of the mean, greedy, lion-esque Qlaxons even includes instructions for readers to say “Booo!” every time they’re mentioned, adding a fun interactive element to a group read-aloud of the book.
Talitha Shipman’s black-and-white illustrations complement the story’s tone perfectly with cartoon drawings that bring aliens like the Qlaxons to life, including humorous labels for everything from floofy tails to their soda-can armor. Other illustrations expertly capture Eudora’s bubbly and tenacious personality in a series of expressive moments throughout the book. The dialogue occasionally includes some awkward phrasing and over-explanation, along with phonetic spellings for words like “Lootenant” and “Noo Joyzee.” While a visual guide to sounding out new words can be helpful for young readers, pairing a phonetic spelling alongside the actual vocabulary word will serve students better long-term. Despite these minor hiccups, Eudora’s plucky and inquisitive narrative voice keeps the story moving. The novel also features quick chapters and snappy pacing, making it perfect for intermediate independent readers or read-alouds with children ages seven to 10.
Solid world-building, cheeky humor and delightful cartoon illustrations make David Horn’s EUDORA SPACE KID a fun sci-fi adventure that is perfect for both group read-alouds and young independent readers.
~Cameron Gillespie for IndieReader