Tyler Reynolds's Blog - Posts Tagged "tweens"
A Binge-Read with Warnings!
I totally got absorbed by Nyxia by Scott Reintgen. A diverse group of tweens are taken to space and put in competition against each other. The stakes: money and healthcare for their families back home in return for a spot on a dangerous mining operation on a foreign planet. Of course, they can't trust the company that is using them.
Of course, these poverty-stricken kids can't resist trying to win anyway. But Emmett, the main character, is also trying to be a good person.
This book was on my middle school's suggested summer reading list. The competition, the secrets, and the mysterious substance, nyxia, gripped me from the start and kept me turning pages. But I gotta tell the truth: there are some harsh parts--"accidents" in the competition, virtual tournaments that result in real injuries, and even character death. It's not like a video game. People suffer real consequences when their bodies are damaged. If imagining that is not for you, back away.
Also, there is some romance. I mean, kids like each other and there is some kissing. At one point, a boy and girl are kissing and tugging at clothing and go into a room for some private time. Don't know what happened in there and don't want to know. Just saying, parents might have something to say about it.
But the point of the book isn't about violence or sex. It's about knowing who you are and how you want to treat people, even when you don't love them--even when they are trying to hurt you. It's about choosing how you're going to react and who you are going to be.
Here's another big warning: the story doesn't end with this book. Most of the mystery is about the destination planet which they just reach by the end of this book. So, if you get drawn in, like I did, you'll have to read the other two books in the triad (huh, never heard it called that before).
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
VIDEO GAME (the kids are constantly being tested in a real-life computer game), I DREAMED ABOUT IT (Yep, I had dreams I was on the space station river trek.), and TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD.
Find the bingo card here:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
Of course, these poverty-stricken kids can't resist trying to win anyway. But Emmett, the main character, is also trying to be a good person.
This book was on my middle school's suggested summer reading list. The competition, the secrets, and the mysterious substance, nyxia, gripped me from the start and kept me turning pages. But I gotta tell the truth: there are some harsh parts--"accidents" in the competition, virtual tournaments that result in real injuries, and even character death. It's not like a video game. People suffer real consequences when their bodies are damaged. If imagining that is not for you, back away.
Also, there is some romance. I mean, kids like each other and there is some kissing. At one point, a boy and girl are kissing and tugging at clothing and go into a room for some private time. Don't know what happened in there and don't want to know. Just saying, parents might have something to say about it.
But the point of the book isn't about violence or sex. It's about knowing who you are and how you want to treat people, even when you don't love them--even when they are trying to hurt you. It's about choosing how you're going to react and who you are going to be.
Here's another big warning: the story doesn't end with this book. Most of the mystery is about the destination planet which they just reach by the end of this book. So, if you get drawn in, like I did, you'll have to read the other two books in the triad (huh, never heard it called that before).
On the Dudes Summer Book Bingo card, here's how this book qualifies:
VIDEO GAME (the kids are constantly being tested in a real-life computer game), I DREAMED ABOUT IT (Yep, I had dreams I was on the space station river trek.), and TOOK ME TO A NEW WORLD.
Find the bingo card here:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
