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Project Mercury
Ike Pressure is an Army brat.
Which, if you ask him, is not an insult.
His mom’s new job is in Mercury, Nevada, on a secretive military base close to Area 51. What’s more, his childhood friend, Eesha Webb, and her family are about to move there too.
Spoiler Ike and Eesha aren’t really best buds, even though their parents think so. They used to play together when they were little kids, but now she's more like his nemesis.
Still, it’s clear to both of them that something mysterious is happening on the base—but what could it be?
Eesha is convinced it has to do with aliens, but Ike isn’t so sure.
What they don’t know is that the stakes are actually much higher than they could have imagined—and Ike’s mom might be in more danger than she has ever faced. Will Ike and Eesha be able to get over their differences and work together to unravel the secrets of Project Mercury?
Which, if you ask him, is not an insult.
His mom’s new job is in Mercury, Nevada, on a secretive military base close to Area 51. What’s more, his childhood friend, Eesha Webb, and her family are about to move there too.
Spoiler Ike and Eesha aren’t really best buds, even though their parents think so. They used to play together when they were little kids, but now she's more like his nemesis.
Still, it’s clear to both of them that something mysterious is happening on the base—but what could it be?
Eesha is convinced it has to do with aliens, but Ike isn’t so sure.
What they don’t know is that the stakes are actually much higher than they could have imagined—and Ike’s mom might be in more danger than she has ever faced. Will Ike and Eesha be able to get over their differences and work together to unravel the secrets of Project Mercury?
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Published August 6, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 4, 2025
This book immediately caught my eye during my library browsing, and I'm glad I picked it up! Sci-fi rooted in a contemporary setting, this was a cool experience of military kid life crossed with some really fun stuff. I can't say much without spoilers, but clever kids, low-tech and high-tech gadgets, and an X-Files-esque mystery made for a fun read.
CW: The kids sneak around while they're figuring things out. The MC faces the very real danger of having a deployed parent.
CW: The kids sneak around while they're figuring things out. The MC faces the very real danger of having a deployed parent.
April 26, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Ike Pressure knows the drill. His family has moved often, since his mother is an army specialist and his father is a recruiter. Their new posting is the Mercury Army Base in Nevada. There's not a lot to do there, but Ike is okay with that; he's rather be playing video games, and he does occasionally get outside. When he finds out that one of his mother's friends is also moving to Mercury, he's not all that happy, because it means he will once again have to deal with the loud and bossy Eesha Webb, who was born on the same day he was. The Webbs, who also have six year old twins named Jack and Jill, are a very athletic and competitive family. Eesha often refers to Ike as a nerd, but when she mentions that Area 51 is very close to them and that she thinks Mercury has some ties to aliens, both are able to geek out on all things space and UFO related. They both think that their parents are probably involved, which mades it even more intriguing. When Ike finds an odd, old radio in the basement, and he hears things that sound like code, he is sure that something is up. Eesha and Ike investigate in the woods, and Jill finds something that looks like "alien tech". When Mixie shows up, they are astonished to find that she is from the year 2300! Should she have been tiem traveling? Of course not, but she was fooling around and traveled back in time. Life in 2300 is pretty good, but she knows better than to tell Ike and Eesha that. The three figure out that the army is involved in a project, and when Ike's mother's phone rings in her purse with the very same tune that has played through the radio, they suspect she is set to time travel. Mixie takes the children with her to the future, and as they are exploring New Glades, there is an emergency announcement; alien ships have been detected and they have to go to Mixie's home. Mixie's parents are NOT thrilled that she has not only traveled to the past but brought children home with her. They manage to contact the Peacekeeper so tht Ms. Pressure isn't attacked. Ms. Pressure has traveled to the future to try to get help with the problems plaguing Earth, like climate change and global warming, and the future is glad to help out and send her back to the army with some solutions. Not only that, but the higher ups are so pleased that they offer the children an opportunity to be hired on as Undercover Kids. Will they get to have more adventures in a sequel?
Strengths: Smith gets a HUGE number of bonus points for his optimistic view of 2300 as a time when there have been no wars for over 500 years, society has not collapsed, they haven't had a pandemic in a long time, and they are willing to help the past out with practical solutions to climate change! There's a good sense of mystery about the army project, some tension with Eesha and Ike working together, and some comic relief from the twins. The depiction of life on an army base was very informative. I know that Smith usually writes fantasy, but I would absolutely LOVE him to write a realistic middle grade book about a tween army brat; I believe this was his upbringing, and I think he would write an excellent, funny novel about that life. There are so few (Benedis-Grab's Army Brats and Lesage's AWOL are the only two that come to mind) that this would be a great addition to middle grade books.
Weaknesses: This could have used a bit more action earlier in the story, and fewer descriptions of tofu lasagna! The only thing worse than eating cardboardy cereal is reading about it!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Murray and Smith's Alien Summer or Buxbaum and Naidu's Area 51. I couldn't help but think of Fleming's nonfiction Crash from Outer Space when the kids are talking about Area 51; I know that Eesha wants to believe in extraterrestrials, but I'm going to side with Fleming's research on this topic!
Ike Pressure knows the drill. His family has moved often, since his mother is an army specialist and his father is a recruiter. Their new posting is the Mercury Army Base in Nevada. There's not a lot to do there, but Ike is okay with that; he's rather be playing video games, and he does occasionally get outside. When he finds out that one of his mother's friends is also moving to Mercury, he's not all that happy, because it means he will once again have to deal with the loud and bossy Eesha Webb, who was born on the same day he was. The Webbs, who also have six year old twins named Jack and Jill, are a very athletic and competitive family. Eesha often refers to Ike as a nerd, but when she mentions that Area 51 is very close to them and that she thinks Mercury has some ties to aliens, both are able to geek out on all things space and UFO related. They both think that their parents are probably involved, which mades it even more intriguing. When Ike finds an odd, old radio in the basement, and he hears things that sound like code, he is sure that something is up. Eesha and Ike investigate in the woods, and Jill finds something that looks like "alien tech". When Mixie shows up, they are astonished to find that she is from the year 2300! Should she have been tiem traveling? Of course not, but she was fooling around and traveled back in time. Life in 2300 is pretty good, but she knows better than to tell Ike and Eesha that. The three figure out that the army is involved in a project, and when Ike's mother's phone rings in her purse with the very same tune that has played through the radio, they suspect she is set to time travel. Mixie takes the children with her to the future, and as they are exploring New Glades, there is an emergency announcement; alien ships have been detected and they have to go to Mixie's home. Mixie's parents are NOT thrilled that she has not only traveled to the past but brought children home with her. They manage to contact the Peacekeeper so tht Ms. Pressure isn't attacked. Ms. Pressure has traveled to the future to try to get help with the problems plaguing Earth, like climate change and global warming, and the future is glad to help out and send her back to the army with some solutions. Not only that, but the higher ups are so pleased that they offer the children an opportunity to be hired on as Undercover Kids. Will they get to have more adventures in a sequel?
Strengths: Smith gets a HUGE number of bonus points for his optimistic view of 2300 as a time when there have been no wars for over 500 years, society has not collapsed, they haven't had a pandemic in a long time, and they are willing to help the past out with practical solutions to climate change! There's a good sense of mystery about the army project, some tension with Eesha and Ike working together, and some comic relief from the twins. The depiction of life on an army base was very informative. I know that Smith usually writes fantasy, but I would absolutely LOVE him to write a realistic middle grade book about a tween army brat; I believe this was his upbringing, and I think he would write an excellent, funny novel about that life. There are so few (Benedis-Grab's Army Brats and Lesage's AWOL are the only two that come to mind) that this would be a great addition to middle grade books.
Weaknesses: This could have used a bit more action earlier in the story, and fewer descriptions of tofu lasagna! The only thing worse than eating cardboardy cereal is reading about it!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Murray and Smith's Alien Summer or Buxbaum and Naidu's Area 51. I couldn't help but think of Fleming's nonfiction Crash from Outer Space when the kids are talking about Area 51; I know that Eesha wants to believe in extraterrestrials, but I'm going to side with Fleming's research on this topic!
January 4, 2025
This science fiction adventure begins with Ike Pressure getting to know his new home in Mercury, Nevada, where his mother is working a secretive job on the military base. He isn't as excited as his parents think when he learns an old friend, Eesha, will also be moving there with her family. The two aren't exactly friends any longer—competitive Eesha is obsessed with sports and Ike would rather be playing video games—but their parents are thrilled they will be able to hang out again. Forced into proximity by their families the two finally find a common interest, the secrecy around what is happening on base. The story quickly escalates to include mysterious creatures and time travel.
While young readers will be happy to find an exciting story that clocks in at under 300 pages, this one could have used a little more development. The plot is far-fetched and the characters are narrowly developed. A concern about saving the planet from climate change feels a bit slapped on, despite its importance in the storyline. The main characters are Black and there is brief speculation about whether racism is still a problem hundreds of years in the future.
Hand to readers who know the lore of Area 51 or are fans of time travel fiction.
Optional purchase for readers in grades 3-7.
K.M.
School Librarian
While young readers will be happy to find an exciting story that clocks in at under 300 pages, this one could have used a little more development. The plot is far-fetched and the characters are narrowly developed. A concern about saving the planet from climate change feels a bit slapped on, despite its importance in the storyline. The main characters are Black and there is brief speculation about whether racism is still a problem hundreds of years in the future.
Hand to readers who know the lore of Area 51 or are fans of time travel fiction.
Optional purchase for readers in grades 3-7.
K.M.
School Librarian
November 2, 2024
This science fiction adventure begins with Ike Pressure getting to know his new home in Mercury, Nevada, where his mother is working a secretive job on the military base. He isn't as excited as his parents think when he learns an old friend, Eesha, will also be moving there with her family. The two aren't exactly friends any longer—competitive Eesha is obsessed with sports and Ike would rather be playing video games—but their parents are thrilled they will be able to hang out again. Forced into proximity by their families the two finally find a common interest, the secrecy around what is happening on base. The story quickly escalates to include mysterious creatures and time travel. While young readers will be happy to find an exciting story that clocks in at under 300 pages, this one could have used a little more development. The plot is far-fetched and the characters are narrowly developed. A concern about saving the planet from climate change feels a bit slapped on, despite its importance in the storyline. The main characters are Black and there is brief speculation about whether racism is still a problem hundreds of years in the future. Hand to readers who know the lore of Area 51 or are fans of time travel fiction.
Optional purchase for readers in grades 3-7.
Optional purchase for readers in grades 3-7.
January 11, 2025
I received this book as a giveaway. It was a cute story but as with most time travel stories the plot didn't make a whole lot of sense. I kept thinking that some things would get explained but before anything did the book ended. It did answer one question though...the Detroit Lions will never win a Superbowl
February 11, 2025
This was a really interesting sci-fi story. I wasn’t expecting the turn that the novel took rather than just focusing on aliens but I think the future element made it a lot more fun. Time travel is always tricky to play with and there are a few parts that I questioned but overall, this would be great for 5th - 7th graders with a love of science.
June 16, 2025
This was a pretty interesting sci-fi story but the utopia thing of future earth kinda bothered me; felt too much like the earth of the Bible book of Revelation but with nice little rose colored glasses that a one world economy and government is okay lol.
February 1, 2025
I loved so many things about this book! Why wasn’t it a Newbery contender???
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews