AuthorsBookshop.com: Explorer X

The O.W.L:

In terms of appeal to 7th graders this book as a lot going for it. Aadi goes to space camp, but it isn't space camp like we know it. I think kids will love all the advance technology at "camp"- virtual games where they feel like they are in another world, flying amazing ships (yes spaceships) and using cool gadgets we only wish we had in our world. They'll also enjoy the fast pace of the story and how the kids in the story take control and do what they want or need without the help of the adults around them. Aadi and his friends are smart, focused and willing to go into the unknown to find answers. Remember though, they are kids and they made mistakes along the way. Mistakes that take them into situations they never imagined. In the end, the reader is left wondering how they'll get through their current crisis.

Final thought - 7th graders will enjoy it.
Best for ages: 11-14

Book Crumbs:

I'm not usually a big fan of science fiction, but this book caught my eye because the story seemed to be original and interesting. The beginning was a little slow and several sentences were phrased really awkwardly (I thought that more contractions could have been used, for one.), but the plot picked up and the writing eventually became less uptight. I thought that the book was full of action- after the slow start, there was straight action all throughout the ending. There were a lot of suspenseful parts as well, and I almost felt like I was watching a movie the whole time.

I also liked reading about all the cool technology incorporated into the story. My favorites were all the simulators for racing and practicing how to use the space vehicles... they sounded awesome!

I would probably recommend this book to teenagers from around 12 to 15, especially for those readers who prefer comic books and such. I think this book would really excite those people and get them interested in reading more!

A Reader's Adventure:

This was a very imaginative book, with lots of different facets that I never would have expected.

Each of the characters were different and brought their own distinctive way to the story. The plot was exciting and very unpredictable. The originality of this book astounded me. Many scifi books are all similar but this one stands alone. All of the different species in this book were described so vividly, and they came to life on the page.

The only real problem I had with it, was that it was kind of slow in the middle, but the ending made up for it.

I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait for the next one!

Purpleg8r:

This book was different from books I normally read. I'm not normally into Sci-Fi type books but the author is so nice and its a YA book, so I agree to review it. And I enjoyed it!

The characters were okay for me. I thought that the main character, Aadi was a strong, positive character. And I liked that the females were strong (both mentally and physically) as well. But I have to admit that I got a couple of secondary characters confused often. There were two characters named Dakota and Damien that I often got confused and had to go back and figure out which kid I was reading about. There were also times toward the end when the story was talking about the different species that I got confused.

But other than that, the plot was good and well-thought out. I thought the idea of an experiment on these kids and what happened as a result was fresh and new. And I liked reading about all of the technology that was in the book in the year 2080. There were several that I thought that I wanted now!

The book ends on a cliff hanger and you don't really know if they are safe or not. I want to read the next book in the series to find out more!

Michelle's Book Blog:

That being said - I did enjoy Explorer X-Alpha. The concept of the book is great. The story ended on a cliff hanger and I am very interested in finding out what happens next with Aadi and his friends. :)

I give Explorer X-Alpha 3 out of 5 stars.