Emergency in Escape Pod Four

Star Wars: Science Adventures #1

by Jude Watson, K.D. Burkett

Meet Stuart Zissu, a twelve-year-old Rebel, and 4B-X, a super-smart droid who can answer almost every scientific question. They join the famous droids R2-D2 and C-3PO on a top secret mission for the Rebellion. After stormtroopers attack their ship, Stuart and the droids must use 4B-X's scientific knowledge in order to pilot and land their runaway escape pod -- or else.

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Childrens

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an odd one, I like the idea of a slightly educational star wars book for kids where problems need to be solved with science but the execution was off. First of all the only science in the book was basic rocket science and it seemed more like an unneeded addition than a part of the story. Like the story would pause and it would become a textbook for a page and then resume the story. For example at one part they explain how rocket fuel works but there was no need for the droid in the story to explain it, there was no cohesion between plot and education.

The other problem was it didn't make sense with star wars science either. For example they talk about piloting an escape pod and going to other planets. To my knowledge escape pods are not equipped with hyperdrives and can't make long distance space voyages, but they talk like they travel from star system to star system...even though navigating an asteroid belt alone used up all their fuel. How are you going to travel to Yavin in another star system if an astroid field uses up all your fuel. They also at one point explain how flight works with airplane examples...but they themselves are in a pod.

The plot also wasn't very interesting.

[Matthew Juffs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combining educational science with Star Wars is a great concept. They should've made more of these, not just the two.

[Gary Varga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less of a Star Wars story and more of a fun science lesson.

Not worth reading just for the story.

Very much worthwhile reading if you are learning about motion in science.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 1 out of 5]

A flimsy story is used to convey science lessons in this book and my ADHD brain was bored within two minutes. The child character is also extremely irritating.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Star Wars + Physics lessons and HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS EXISTED!! Two of my favorite things in one package. Found it a month ago at a used bookstore and couldn't buy it fast enough. Three stars overall. Extra star added for sheer glee.

I'm a huge fan of Watson's other intermediate-level Star Wars fiction, notably the Jedi Apprentice series. She captures the iconic characters perfectly. However, as a longtime reader of Star Wars fiction, it was necessary for me to get past the idea that Artoo and Threepio would actually have been sent on this mission. (I also winced at the protagonist's use of "hypergalactic" in place of "awesome".) I was very glad that the science teacher droid was female.

The book covers basic principles of space flight, atmospheric flight, and gravity. There are three simple experiments in the back that kids can perform. Unfortunately one of them shows the book's age: the list of "what you'll need" includes an empty film canister.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

so when i first picked up this book i was like am i really going to read this book. and then i took like a glance thorugh the pages of the book and i was like omg i am in love with this book. soo........ when reading this book i was totally drawn to the star wars scene cuz i totally love the whole star wars them witht he obe wan kenobi and the force. anyways, the main plot of this book is that the group is lodged into space and they have to learn how to manuever their way around space so as to not get lost in space witht he small amount of fuel they have left in the pod. so, they learn a lot of physics which in turn i learned too and it totally helped me in physics class lol. its a good and easy read so enjoy!

[Theresa F. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book uses the framework of an adventure story featuring the Star Wars characters in an attempt to teach children basic scientific principles, such as Newton's First Law of Motion. In my opinion, the way that the 'science lessons' were integrated into the story came across as clunky. But then, I'm past the age range of the target audience. The book also featured a cliffhanger ending, likely to ensure that readers would seek out the rest of the series.
Did I like it? Not really, but I'm not in the target age group.
Would I reread it? No.
Would I recommend it? This book might be perfectly acceptable to readers in the recommended age range. However, I happen to favor the quote that states you should never give a child a book you wouldn't read yourself.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great kids' story that introduces concepts like thrust, inertia, high/low gravity and centrifugal force in a way that makes sense. I think this would be great for a kid interested in science. Plus they got Jude Watson to do the story itself so that is also good quality.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly good. The adventure is fun and it doesn't seem too weird that the droids are on their own. The science lessons are incorporated quite well into the text which is fantastic and there are even some easy experiments at the end.

[Eden Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read this book, and to be honest, I don't even recall if the year I put is correct, but this book was one of the first things that got me into the science beyond the science fiction, so... It was a great influence on my life.