The Icarus Project

by Laura Quimby

More than anything, Maya wants to discover something incredible. Her parents are scientists: Her mother spends most of her time in tropical rainforests, uncovering ancient artifacts, and her dad is obsessed with digging up mammoths. When her father gets invited by an eccentric billionaire to lead a team investigating a mammoth's remains in the Arctic, Maya begs to come along. Upon her arrival at the isolated camp, the mammoth is quickly revealed to be a fake, but there is something hidden in the ice--something unbelievable. Along with a team of international experts, each with his or her own agenda and theory about the mystery in the ice, Maya learns more about this discovery, which will change her life forever. Laura Quimby expertly mixes adventure, science, and wonder into a page-turning story perfect for middle-grade explorers.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery, Juvenile, Science Fiction, Archaeology

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jon]

Seen at Scott Reads It!
I did not finish reading The Icarus Project, I read about halfway before giving up. I am a sucker for a nice cover and I immediately wanted to read The Icarus Project when I saw the cover. Despite the fact that I was so excited to read The Icarus Project, I struggled to get through chapters.

The Icarus Project is targeted at young children and I am not really part of the targeted audience the author was writing for. I feel like reading The Icarus Project was like watching one of cheesy romance movies because you know straight off the bat what is going to happen. After seeing the cover and reading the title, you will know what the big "plot twist" is. How can you create a mystery where the answer is in such plain sight? I don't think little kids will enjoy this book because it is rather slow paced and the story feels extremely predictable.


Despite the fact that I knew what was going to happen, I tried to read more but to no avail. Even the characters weren't exactly memorable or like able in my opinion. All of the characters in The Icarus Project were rather ordinary. The Icarus Project failed to engross me and I just couldn't find the heart to continue. Maybe one day I will finish this day but I highly doubt I would pick up The Icarus Project again.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked how this started out, despite a couple of really stupid lines (like saying that the lesson of Jurassic Park is that dinosaurs are extinct for a reason--whaaaat? I'm pretty sure that's wrong). I liked the main character, Maya, and thought her family dynamic was really interesting, and I was totally intrigued by the mammoth angle.

But it felt like then things got a little out of control. There's a big deal made about how Maya has white hair and it's sooooo weird and everybody stares at her. I really thought there would be a point to that somehow, but no--that doesn't really go anywhere at all. And at the beginning of the book she has this whole color theory and is constantly saying that so-and-so feeling is so-and-so color. Then that pretty much just disappears by the end of the book as well. And several of the supporting characters seem to sort of change their motivations at a moment's notice, and the ending feels like a huge mess.

Not to mention what the "mammoth" actually turns out to be, which is...um... Well, I still have no idea, really, but it seemed pretty over the top and silly to me. Nothing's really explained very well, and in the end it felt like Quimby spent a whole lot of time and effort making the first part really good, and then just rushed the rest of the book and never went back to make sure all the pieces tied together well. The entire second half just felt really sloppy to me.

But, I dunno. I'm quite a bit older than the kids who will mostly be reading this, and maybe they'll love it. There's plenty of action, and some weird, creepy-ish parts, and the setting is super cool (literally!), and maybe that's enough.

It really wasn't for me, though. :(

[Josh Newhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite a slow start evolved into a very interesting read. lost a star for the stereotyped adult and ethnicities... I don't want to spoil the book but it was very different to what I expected at first...

[J.T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Icarus Project a is about a girl called Maya. Maya's parents are devorced and Maya lives with her dad who is a mammoth expert. Maya's mom is an archeologist who digs up ancient civilizations in the jungle. Maya's dad is having problems finding work because there are not many mammoths that were being studied at the time and money is running low. Then a mammoth tusk is found sticking out of the ground by a rich billionaire in the Arctic. The billionaire then invites a whole team of top class scientists including Maya's dad to help with the mammoth excavation. Once the whole team gets to the Arctic they all discuss their plans about what their plans were going to be for the mammoth. The next day Maya's dad leads the expedition to the excavation sight from the station while Maya is forced to stay at the station with another boy called Kyle until their parents return later in the afternoon. But something is wrong the scientists arrive back early and are clearly frustrated. The rich billionaire Randal had planted fake mammoth tusk to lure all the top scientists to the arctic. He immediately tells them about a mass his radar detected and he tells the scientists that he only mad them come out to dig up and explore something much weirder that he found in the ice.

This book started out fine but it got boring at many parts. The book is not very interesting until you reach about half way and then things get better. The author should have spread the action throughout the whole book not just half. The main twists happen in the last few chapters which is when the story is already completely boring. You don't get attached to any of the characters causing their to be no real emotion to the whole story.

[Ricardo M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Icarus Project' by Laura Quimby is an action-adventure novel that combines many aspects of life into something that is downright amazing. In the book, you will find a great story that follows Maya Parson and her love for mammoths. Maya is strong, kind, determined, and perseverant. She uses these skills to her advantage throughout the book.

The Icarus Project is based around Maya Parson's passion for extinct mammoths. She's never had the opportunity to see one up close, but when her father gets the opportunity to travel to the tip of Canada to help dig up a frozen mammoth--this was such a rare discovery because it still had flesh, and it hadn't decayed at all--he gratefully accepts. But there's one problem: Maya wants to come along. After a lot of back and forth, and convincing, and "I promise I'll be good" talk from Maya, her dad finally says, "I'll think about it." He would have to get permission from not only Maya's school principal but the company itself. Eventually, it all works out, and they flew up to Canada with a few other scientists to examine the massive hairy beast. But what they found was far from what they expected.

The plot is a unique one that can follow many genres of literature. Maya's adventure is described in a way where there aren't any flaws in terms of story, meaning there aren't any dumb decisions that are only in the novel for the sake of plot armor. That's what I love about this book.

[S'Wilt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sweet ET kind of story for the modern tween-ag sci-fi lover. The text is simple language and easy to read. The simplistic writing style and young, passionate female protagonist makes Quimby's writing accessible to many reading levels while also making an excellent bedtime story kind of read.

My only complaint is that it takes a solid 3/4 of the text to get into the meat of the story. Once the plot gets into the fun elements of sci-fi - possible alien life forms, things science can't explain and so on - the story really picks up, with an excellent, heart-warming ending. Overall an excellent book for young sci-fi lovers, just may have to encourage them to keep up with it if they begin to get bored in the beginning.

[Karin · Rating 1 out of 5]

13 year old Maya is allowed to travel to the Canadian Arctic with her dad who has been hired to check a possible new mammoth fossil find. It's not a mammoth, but what is it? She and another child of similar age (who always travels with his mother and is homeschooled). Yes, you guessed it, they become involved in this new find and--shockingly enough--are heroes in this story. It started off fine, but I felt it went off the rails relatively early one. I finished it in order to get a Q author. Sure, it's for kids, but for me it missed the mark (not the age-group reading level, but just as a story.)

[Lucia Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. I sometimes will grab a book for my eldest (10); the cover was interesting so I decided to read it first. I think he will like it. The lead character, Maya, comes across a bit younger than 13 to me. There is adventure and mystery and it's in an interesting location. I would have liked perhaps a bit more clarity at the end.

[P.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very slow until Maya, Kyle, and Jake thawed Charlie. Then it picked up. It was very unbelievable but I did like how determined Maya was to get Charlie home. It was also good to read on such a hot and humid day.

[P.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very slow until Maya, Kyle, and Jake thawed Charlie. Then it picked up. It was very unbelievable but I did like how determined Maya was to get Charlie home. It was also good to read on such a hot and humid day.

[Ammar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started of interesting,but fell flat half way through. The characters just weren't that compelling.Its a good light read for younger readers.

[Laura M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute, easy middle-grade read - combination of sci-fi and mystery.

[Brandy Painter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

I came across The Icarus Project by Laura Quimby on NetGalley and was instantly intrigued. It sounded like exactly the sort of book I would enjoy. And enjoy it I did.

Maya is a great main character. She knows she wants to study science but is unsure of the field she wants to go into. Should she follow in her mother's footsteps? Her father's? Pave her own road? Going on an expedition to the Arctic to dig up a mammoth has never been high on her list of things to do, but when the opportunity comes along she grabs at it. I loved the way Quimby described the Arctic. She did an excellent job of conveying just how cold Maya was and the strange remoteness of such a place. At the station Maya is joined by a boy her age who is there with his anthropologist mother. Kyle is fun and adventurous. He and Maya have an instant rapport and become good friends. There is definitely your typical studious girl/adventurous boy dynamic here, but for the most part is done well. Maya is also quite adventurous in her own right.

The first half of the book is the story of a typical scientific expedition, but is in no way dry. I loved the descriptiveness of the prose, the mysterious people introduced, and Maya's spirit. Then the plot takes a turn and becomes more of a sci-fi/fantasy. Now normally that would excite me greatly, but I actually ended up liking the second half a little less. It felt a little rushed. The discovery of the fantastic, the quick bonding of Maya and Kyle to it, the way it is resolved had to happen very fast. So much time was spent getting to that point that it felt like an awful lot to squeeze into a short space. But I LOVED the getting there so I don't know what I would do about that. This may have been just a me problem and I would certainly recommend it to any young fan of sci-fi or exploring.

I will warning you that nothing is explained in the end. I know this bothers some people. I liked the end and all the different ways you might imagine the explanation to go. I very much liked the way this wasn't so much about having the mystery explained as how it affected Maya.

I read a copy made available via NetGalley by the publisher. The Icarus Project will be available on October 1, 2012.

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptionally Well Written

Between the blurbs and the other reviews you can get a pretty good idea of this book's plot, including some serious spoilers. I guess the most important plot point to get across is that Maya, the daughter of noted scientist/adventurers, and Kyle, (ditto), get involved with a stunning arctic discovery, and the book transitions around the halfway point from a science/adventure story to more of a magical/fantasy tale. Both ends work, so even though the effect is a touch jarring, it doesn't really detract from the book's appeal.

But here's the best part. While this book may be aimed at middle grade readers the quality of the writing is such that it is leagues beyond your usual middle grade fantasy adventure, (and I'm a big fan of those adventures). Maya is smart, observant, sensitive, independent and motivated. She is written with a great deal of vitality and her energetic and fast-paced narrative just grabs the reader as the book hurtles along. She is way too wise and knowing, and sometimes rueful, to feel like an authentic 13 year old, but that's O.K. because what you do get is an entertaining and slyly bemused voice that you are willing to pretend belongs to a 13 year old. (Lots of girl characters, from Scout to Pollyanna to Rebecca to Hermione Granger are wise and articulate beyond their years, and no one is complaining about them.)

On top of that, we have scene setting and descriptive passages that are truly well done. Early on Maya has a Skype style internet chat with her Mom, who is on site somewhere in South America. This tight scene captures Maya's loneliness, her yearning to see her Mom, her pride in her Mom, her own will to be an explorer some day, and it puts you so clearly into Mom's wilderness campsite that you practically feel the rope burns from the hammock she's sitting in. Most books just toss in a few cliched scene setting bits and some drippy dialogue. This book is written from the ground up, with everything fresh and original.

So, you get a nifty story, two engaging characters, quality writing, and an earnest, exciting, colorful and thought provoking adventure. A pretty nice find.

Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this :D Maya accompanies her father to a dig site in the Arctic Circle, where a woolly mammoth has been found... only it turns out to be a hoax - the tusk is made of plaster, and was planted there by billionaire Randal so that he could get a team of credible scientists to help him out with, well, something which they otherwise might not have believed in.

And that leads them to 'Charlie', a boy frozen in the ice... who has wings. And who causes a lot of people to have weird dreams and stuff... and who Maya believes is still alive. So they defrost him and yep, turns out he is! Which leads to a lot of fun - but then even more danger. One scientist, Katsu, wants to clone Charlie. Another, Ivan, wants to return him to the ice before they're all cursed - which leads to Charlie, Maya and her father left stranded ten miles from anywhere, until Charlie very creatively saves the day.

I loved the idea of Charlie being able to mimic things so easily, eg. Kyle and his two missing fingers, and loved how that was the key for him at the end to return to the air where he needed to be. I especially liked how there was no "paranormal wtfuckery" going on, which was what I suddenly had a sinking feeling I was in for when Charlie was found!

One thing I would have liked was a little more on how Kyle lost those two fingers! The way he cut Maya off made it seem like there was quite a story there, but then they were never mentioned again and we never found out the real deal! Grr. I really liked both Kyle and Maya a lot, they were such fun characters. And the whole story was just a delight to read!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Maya, the daughter of two scientists, isn't sure what she wants to be when she grows up, but she certainly has a strong interest in science. While her mother Skypes from her expeditions in South America, Maya and her father head off on an unexpected trip to the Arctic where her father has been hired by a wealthy investor to assist in uncovering mammoth bones. But there are plenty of surprises once they reach the dig, and the trip turns out to be a scam but with revelations that make it hard to balance the dictates of science with magic or mysticism. What they find is not at all what they expect to find. I enjoyed the scenes in which the being who is named Charlie by the crew is first glimpsed through the ice and somehow seems to exert effects on all those around him. While the ending strained credibility, I applauded the pluckiness of Maya and her allies, Kyle and Jake, and I also found myself thinking about how easy it is for some of us to forget that the things we want to dissect are sometimes human and certainly deserving more respect that we give to them. I also appreciated the fact that the author does not ever explain exactly who or what Charlie is. It was rather pleasant not to have all the mystery of his essence unraveled, leaving readers to ponder the possibilities.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, and Abrams Books for my copy of The Icarus Project, by Laura Quimby.

I admittedly love to read middle grade fiction. I often do it under the guise that I am "checking it out" for my daughters... and in a way I am, but really I just relish creative thinkers. I love a book that is full of imaginative fun. And Icarus Project most certainly is.
I was not sure what I was signing up for when I started reading this book, but very soon, I grew quite fond of Maya, and her quirky self. Wanting to grow up to be like her mom and dad, and discover great things on expeditions, she is allowed to join her father on a dig of a lifetime.
But the expedition is not what it seems, and Maya soon learns not to trust everyone around her. When strange and suspicious things start happening it is up to Maya and a few select people that she can trust to save the day, and in the process, she discovers more about herself and her dreams.
I am excited for this book to be released. I am sure that it is going to end up on my shelf for my kids. Great job, and I look forward to reading more from Laura Quimby in the future.

[Justinw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justin Watson
Dear Ms.Dudding

I am reading The Icarus Project written by Laura Quimby this book was great. In my other Letter I had asked some questions about whether this book was about Icarus? While reading I have learned that the book is about Icarus indeed!!! This story is one of my favorite greek mythology stories. So they had freed him from the ice, the interesting part was he was still alive over all those years, In the story they say that he had actual wings that grew out of his back which got me confused cause Icarus had fake wings made of bird feathers, In this story he grew wings out of his back.

I have a few more questions about the book involving Icarus. In this story it says he doesn’t feel cold, he could turn into a polar bear, make a copy of himself, he couldn’t feel pain, and he could make dreams for people when they are sleeping! In the other story he was just a regular human. How can he get real wings and fly? How can he transform into an animal? How can he not feel pain? How can he make a copy of himself? None of this made sense and there is no explanation for any of this.

[Charli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Booklist review:

When her paleontologist father is contracted to examine a supposed mammoth find, an expedition to the Canadian Arctic becomes the adventure of a lifetime for 13-year-old Maya. The last thing most of the team expects to discover is a winged humanoid form preserved in the ice. Is it an angel? A missing link? An alien? The mystery of what the creature is soon becomes secondary to Maya and Kyle, the son of one of the other scientists, when they discover that the humanoid, or “Charlie,” is alive. Not only is he alive, he has abilities that make the more unscrupulous members of the expedition want to clone him. Quimby hits all the right notes: Maya’s earnest first-person point of view and sense of fair play make her easy to root for, and the inclusion of a boy character as a foil to Maya, along with lively writing and plenty of action, will help this middle-grade novel pull in reluctant readers. Grades 4-7. --Charli Osborne

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a bit slow going to start with, but once I got into it, I enjoyed it. This book is actually aimed at younger readers, I would say between 10 and 12, so I was quite surprised to find it entertained me as well. There were a few too many characters for my liking and at times I found it hard to keep up with who was who, but I really liked Maya’s character. I don’t want to say too much about the story so I don’t give anything away, but there is quite a bit of mystery going on which was interesting and certainly kept the story going.
Overall I enjoyed this book, and am glad I read it, although I do feel certain parts could have been explained better, and less characters.

My full review, plus others, can be found here.

[Jeff Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering I read this over a year ago and forgot to review it, it's surprising how well this generally stuck in my head. A girl heads to the Arctic with her paleontologist father to look at mammoth remains, but it turns out there's something more up there - what appears to be an angel.

The story is familiar to those who know angel stories like this, perhaps most notably "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings." It doesn't go into "Surprise Jesus" territory like some books do, it plays it surprisingly straight and it's interesting, but not enough to really be memorable or stake out any new ground. I finished the book unsure of what the point of it actually was, which is not really the best way to end up.

[Drucilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5 stars. I would have liked this book a lot better had the cover and title not spoiled a major plot point. For me, there wasn't any mystery because of it. The main character's voice seems much younger than 13 and there was a lot of background information that, had it been included, would have made the story much better. I also felt that as a book very heavily involved with the scientific process, the scientists believe in "Charlie" way too quickly. There was one other thing that actually made me a little ticked off and this may just be me, but here's a part where Kyle damages Maya's (borrowed) books trying to "prove a point" (which, by the way, is that you shouldn't read about things, you should experience them). I disliked Kyle from then on.

[Fletcher B · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Icarus Project is a book by Laura Quimby it was an ok book. It is about a girl whose parents are explorers her mom is always out and her dad is struggling to get a research grant. Her dad finally gets a grant to travel to the arctic to help study and excavate mammoth remains in the ice. She was originally going to stay at a friends house while her father was away. but she pleaded to her father to bring her so he accepted and brought her with him.

In the arctic research facility the story goes sorta all over the place with secret side plots. Then all the characters become confusing. All the characters stay the same almost all the time little to no development. i give it 2.5/5 because of the lack of characterization but a great plot.

[Fahad · Rating 3 out of 5]

13-year-old Maya Parson, whose anthropologist mother is often away on another continent doing fieldwork, finally gets to accompany her woolly-mammoth–expert dad on a foray into the icy wilderness. She soon discovers there are backroom politics to the project. Including designs of a billionaire resident. His film-making nephew is doing something suspicious with these Scientists from Russia and Japan. An unexpected discovery is made, Maya try's to prevent the Russian scientists from finding the discovery.

I picked up this book because i liked how the book looked like

I finished this book because it was so long

I recommend this book to Tanner cause he likes this book alot and he wanted this book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, exciting read. The main character, Maya, and her friend, Kyle, are both unlikely underdog heroes, and I liked how they were shown to posses confidence regardless of how others perceived them. Setting the story in the Arctic was unique and made the tale fun to escape into. The plot had several big twists, and while they weren't all easy to believe or understand, you were kept on the edge of your seat. Some scenes genuinely spooked me, and I'm an adult! My one big complaint is that while the supporting cast of characters were diverse, they were written with racial tropes (the hard Russian, the brilliant but unfeeling Japanese, the mystical Inuit).

[Collette · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, and definitely one for the hardcore sci fi fans. It's not the best written book I've ever written, that's for sure. There's some science content for budding archeologists, but mostly it's fiction. It does present an interesting look at ethics in scientific discoveries. In light of the recent ruling that DNA can't be patented, it was a fascinating read as it looks at ownership of discoveries, how research/science is funded, and what the funding sources want/get in return.
Overall, not a huge hit, but solid and original.

[Stacy Mozer · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Maya's dad is given the opportunity of a life time, to be part of a team uncovering a mammoth in the Arctic, she begs to go with him. She doesn't know that protecting the find will put her father's life and her life in danger. This middle grade fantasy-adventure-mystery is a Dan Brown book for kids. You're never quite sure who to trust and there are lots of twists and turns. I look forward to seeing it on the shelves and passing it to middle grade readers.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 yummy oatmeal creme filled sandwiches.

Cover Love:
YES! When I first looked at this I didn't look closely. Once I got started reading it I looked closer and saw many hints to the story there. I love the cover!

Why I Wanted to Read This:
The synopsis caught my interest and I felt it would be a good middle grade book for my readers.

Read the rest of my review here.

[Laura Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maya’s dream of going on a scientific expedition with her dad comes true when they head to the frozen north of Canada to investigate the possible discovery of a mammoth. What they find instead, though, is even more amazing - a frozen, winged creature that looks an awful lot like a fallen angel. Full of intrigue, twists and turns, science and psychology, this one kept me turning the pages!

[Read Ribbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I thought was going to be a Jurassic Park retread with Woolly Mammoths instead of dinosaurs developes into an engaging read about another discovery in the artic. With a central female character interested in science and inquiry from a family of scientist parents sets up an engaging read for intermediate children.