The Moon Platoon

Space Runners #1

by Jeramey Kraatz

In the year 2085, Benny Love is pretty used to surviving on what he and his family can scavenge on Earth. But when he wins a scholarship for a life-changing trip to visit the Lunar Taj, the first-ever resort on the Moon, Benny thinks he finally has a chance to give his family a better life.

Benny can’t wait to fly his very own Space Runner, practice reverse bungee jumping, and explore craters on the dark side of the Moon. But he gets more than he expected when he and the other kids discover the Moon has secrets no one else knows about. Benny is a long way from home—and soon there might not be an Earth to go back to.

Genres: Science Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure, Aliens, Childrens, Action, Young Adult

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2017

About the author

Hi! I’m Jeramey Kraatz. That’s like “cats” with an “R” in it, by the way. I wrote THE CLOAK SOCIETY and SPACE RUNNERS series from Harper.

I grew up in Odessa, Texas, studied advertising and English at TCU, and graduated from the MFA program at Columbia University where I studied nonfiction writing. In the past, I’ve worked as a snow-cone maker, barista, mannequin dresser, and intern in the X-Men Editorial Department at Marvel Comics. When I’m not working on books, I write English dub scripts for various anime series, like Seraph of the End and My Hero Academia. You never have to grow up, kids.

I like bad horror movies, comic books, queso, and music that sounds like laser pistols. I live and work in Texas with, predictably, my cat: Loki.

Reviews

[Pop Bop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Space Fun - and Way, Way Better Than Expected

I didn't think that the souped up Chevelle-in-space that was on the cover was a good sign. Then we met the really decent poor kid, the spoiled Senator's kid, the shy techy girl, and the hot shot racing girl, all on the way to space camp on the Moon, and I figured this was going to be a campy or cartoony cavalcade of cliches. Well, please excuuuuse me for being such a snot. Turns out that this book, in my now very humbled opinion, was a clever, well written, entertaining and engaging hoot of a middle grade space actioner.

Our hero, Benny, is in fact a decent poor kid. But you know what? That mostly comes across in his appreciation of the neat things he's getting to see and do, and he comes across as steady, resourceful, grounded and practical. He is a remarkably appealing character, with a deadpan sense of humor, and fine as the center of the story. The spoiled kid is not a caricature. Well, he is, but he develops some depth and grows up during the course of the adventure. The shy techy Jazz has some real backbone. Hotshot Grace is girrrrl power with a sense of humor and real skilz, not just a nod to a few girl readers. This is a well conceived and well presented team, and watching them get used to each other and begin to trust and like each other was enjoyable, (and carried an appealing subtle message about friendship and teamwork).

The tech angle was handled well. The reader is perfectly willing to buy the whole mega resort on the Moon set up, and the bigger than life genius-billionaire-adventurer-guru who ran the place was often the butt of sly humor. The supporting characters at the resort, composed mostly of heroic master of the universe types, were also gently sent up. More interesting, though, were all the technical thingies. This is a sort of motor-heads in space story, so that Chevelle wasn't too far off. And all of the other tech that's described or just off-handedly acknowledged should spark the imaginations of most young readers.

There is more of a plot than just "who's the best camper?", what with aliens and invasions and that whole saving the Earth thing, but it's suspenseful and rollicking and action packed and over the top, and so just the thing to spark a high end space adventure. JUST A MILD SPOILER - think along the lines of "Star Wars" and that darn Death Star.

My bottom line was that I thought the whole project was a hoot. I liked the characters and their style; the tone of the book was generally upbeat, (there is some look-how-we-messed-up-the-Earth monologuing), and sort of breathless, and under the hood the engine just purred along. This is in many ways an old-school friends adventure, updated with high tech and space blarney, and isn't that a nice find?

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Snazzy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Liz Friend · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story: When Benny Love wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Elijah West's Lunar Taj Resort, he's just thrilled to know he'll be able to get his family out of the deserted Drylands once and for all. He never expected to find friends that could be as close as family...or aliens. Or drag racers on the moon. And he never expected to be the one leading a desperate charge to save everyone on earth.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG: Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBt content G; adult themes (xenocidal aliens, being orphaned) PG; overall rating PG.

Book trailer: https://youtu.be/3pgN4_N18d4

Liz's comments: Thumbs up! Futuristic technology, alien invasions and epic space battles aside, the real theme here is that family and friends are the most important thing. (Even though an epic space battle never hurt anything, either.)

[Caitlin Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I read this book to my 4th graders but is it acceptable as an adult to go and buy the rest of the series?????

[Jennifer]

Exciting sci-fi space adventure with lots of action.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book for children in upper elementary school. Some action throughout. Kids making friends, learning about their strengths, saving the world!

[Joey]

Great Book, and I lover Jeramey's books in general.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benny is going to the Moon. One of many twelve-year-olds chosen by the eccentric and rich genius Elijah Wright.

He makes friends, enjoys wonders, helps search -- and learns, with some other kids, that something's been hidden from them.

Unraveling that involves things from the buiding's AI being based on a real woman, unknown elements, one girl making strategic decisions, a holographic spider, Benny's knowledge of what to do in a sand storm, and more.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4 1/2 stars. I liked this WAY more than I expected to!)

Benny Love is one of this year's 100 scholarship winners to spend two weeks on the moon at the Lunar Taj, the first off-earth resort. It is owned by trillionaire Elijah West, who made his fortune inventing cars that can fly in space. Each year, Mr. West brings 100 of the best and the brightest to the moon for two weeks, then sends them back to Earth with enough money to change their lives forever. Benny is grateful to have received the scholarship. He and his brothers live in a caravan in the Drylands, where there is never enough water, barely enough food, and always dirt and sand. On his first day on the moon, he and his new friends (which include some very NOT stereotypical girls!) discover something out of the ordinary. As they continue to explore more, they discover the secret Elijah West doesn't want anyone to know. A thrilling space adventure, including plenty of car chases and live action video game sims. Fans of the Bounders series will enjoy this one as well. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benny is super excited he was chosen to be a scholarship winner for a two week visit to Elijah West's Lunar Taj on the Moon. He's hoping that this experience and the money he's promised after the trip will get his family a more permanent home so they can get out of the Drylands. After landing on the Moon, though, some strange things happen. Benny could leave things in Elijah's hands, but his new friends are also curious and dissatisfied with Elijah's responses. They start to do some investigating themselves and stumble upon a find that will rock their worlds and challenge them like never before.

This starts off like your typical camp story, only it is set on the Moon and the experiences all revolve around cool tech/space cars. It soon escalates after an accident with one of the Space Runners and a strange asteroid that seems to have brought it down. Benny and his friends are quite the curious crew. They all have their own gifts. Benny is a good leader who cares about others. Drue is the spoiled rich kid who bought a scholarship, but may secretly have some good qualities. Jasmine is a science genius. Hot Dog is a driving champ. And Ramona is a tech genius. The five of them manage to get in trouble together more than once, but it proves to be a good thing they are so curious. The climax gets a bit more serious as the secrets they uncover have major ramifications for everyone on Earth and the Moon. I liked the imaginative setting and the spectrum of characters. Kraatz built in surprising depth to several characters. Most readers will be able to guess some of the big secret but maybe not all, and there's still some tantalizing hints of secrets untold yet to keep readers interested in the next book. I wasn't always happy with the ways the kids went about uncovering secrets but I'm sure younger readers will find it more exciting.

Notes on content: About four minor swear words (I'm not sure if that's because this is the British version and that word isn't considered as bad there, but to American readers this edition will have some minor swearing.) No sexual content. There are a few perilous situations but just scratches on page, and there are likely deaths after one situation (but you aren't sure).

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an average book. I didn't like it as much as Space Case by Stuart Gibbs, but it will definitely appeal to the same crowd. Sci-fi is the weak spot in my library, so I'm definitely considering.

Benny, Drue, Hot Dog, and Jasmine are four of the exceptional kids who have been selected to attend a training school at the famous Taj resort on the moon. Earth is on an environmental death spiral and entrepreneur Elijah West is thinking ahead with his resort and fleet of space runners (aka souped-up cars). Once the kids have met their idol Elijah and toured the resort, they are placed into competitive groups to test their intellectual prowess and team-building skills. There's Benny, the poor kid from a trailer park, Drue, the intellectually inferior Senator's son, Hot Dog, the video game queen, and Jasmine, the engineering prodigy. The first competition is a race between Drue and Hot Dog. Hot Dog wins but gets stranded in an asteroid shower. The other three sneak out to rescue her and end up bringing back a piece of asteroid. Something is off about the asteroid and the kids are determined to find out what.

A little sleuthing and science gets them to the bottom of the mystery. Elijah is forced to reveal everything and before you know it, a bunch of souped-up cars, driven by kids, is on a mission to save Earth. It's like a scene out of Star Wars. I liked the characters, although they are a bit stereotypical, especially Drue drooling over the hot girls. Hot Dog is a girl and that name almost ruined the book for me. Such an easy fix too. The idea of a resort on the moon that attracts celebrities is cool. The space cars are a little much for me, but with Elon Musk launching a Tesla into space, I guess anything is possible.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kraatz, Jeramey. The Moon Platoon. HarperCollins, 2017. Space Runners 1.
The Moon Platoon is a near-future space opera aimed at middle graders. A group of promising teens is brought to a large hotel on the moon by a self-proclaimed genius-mogul to race space cars and moon buggies, play video games and compete to become one of the mogul’s permanent staff. As things develop, they also must save the earth from an alien attack. Think Willie Wonka on the Moon meets Ender’s Game. We follow Benny, a poor kid who grew up in a caravan in the American desert. The plot moves right along and does not hit you over the head with character drama. World-building could be better. The space racers look like sports cars on the cover and are never adequately described. Architecture, technology, and landscapes get a similar cavalier treatment. Finally, I wish the kids’ adventures provided some more specific information about science and technology. Kraatz could profit by reading some Heinlein juveniles. 3 stars.

[Karen Broughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book, smashed it over two nights as i just kept reading on. love the group of friends especially Benny. It really felt like i was taken on a ride myself, the only down side is i didnt realise it was a trilogy the second is now on pre order delivery 8th of March, so excited to get my hands on the next installment. But the down side is i have bit of a wait till the third one is out to get to the conclusion. i can definitely see me happily re reading this set of books in the not so distant future. if you like childrens fantasy/adventure stories i highy reccomend you reading the "the space runners".

[Jennifer Mielke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It is a middle grade novel, so the action is non stop, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am not a science person or a fan of sci-fi in general, but Kraatz does not beat you over the head with the science elements, and I appreciated that as someone who is not into things like that. I found the characters funny and relatable. I did not like the adult main character of Elijah, but he redeems himself at the end. What did Elijah think was going to happen when he brought a hundred kids to the moon? Shenanigans were going to ensue. Overall, I think this is a great middle grade read.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this series. There's a fourth book out, that we haven't read yet, but it's on the TBR pile...

The first book reads like watching my son play Forza but with hot rods on the moon!

Right off the shuttle, the main character Benny and the motley cast of teen winners of Elija West's Scholarship for Courage, Ambition and Brains are saving each other -- and eventually Earth. Benny drives a 4-wheeler souped up for moon conditions to rescue Jazz, whose space runner vehicle crashes, and the Taj space resort is bombarded by alien asteroids.

The scholarship winners work together as a team led by a reluctant Benny to fend off an attack by the Alpha Maraudi (a play on the word marauder, perhaps?), who want to take over Earth and resettle it for their own people.

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[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start to an action packed sci fi adventure. Sure to appeal to reluctant readers. It really kicks off the last part of the book, but the beginning is important to build background, get to know the characters and the setting. My only complaint is there needs to be more explanation about why Elijah built this station on the moon and kitted it out with virtual reality games for the kids he invited. Did he simply want to entertain them or was there another reason? Why put them in teams? If he didn't want to defend the Earth, what was his end game? Maybe these questions will be answered in the next in the series.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Characterization, imagination, description, plot, creativity all spot on and total 5 star rating. I can't wait to read the second book. My only critique (that dropped it to a 4 star) is the dialogue: all too often characters would not finish sentences. There were so many dashes and ellipses from characters being cut off, or in some way not finishing. This is an okay technique to use occasionally, as that's real life, but it was so overdone to the point of borderline irritating. Other than that, loved the book!

[Lanica · Rating 4 out of 5]

2085 - Earth is changed. Everyone lives in the cities...until they can't afford it anymore. Benny and his family were forced out when they were unable to maintain the cost of living. He loves his family very much. He is a strong character with a great background. I enjoyed reading about him and his adventures when he was selected to go to the moon base for a week-long educational trip.

There were small flaws with the characters, and perhaps minor oddities with the storyline- but I didn't really care. I enjoyed this book and will gladly put it in my library because it will get read.

[Kyla Schooling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Space Runners: The Mood Platoon is a fun middle school read. Benny Love finds himself on a space shuttle to the Moon after winning a contest. He and a hundred other young scholars are going to learn about life in space and hone their technology and piloting skills under the leadership of the legendary Elijah West. But when suspicious asteroids begin hitting the protective dome of the Lunar Taj, Benny and his friends feel like they have to investigate, and soon find themselves on a mission to save Earth.

[Nathaniel Sjafii · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a good book, it was very interesting. It talks about a 12 year old named Benny Love, who lives in a poor family. He wins a scholarship to go to the Moon, hand-picked by the genius inventor Elijah West to visit the Lunar Taj, a resort on the Moon. He is very excited for the trip, and wants to go on a Space Runner, a vehicle created by Elijah West himself. However, something goes wrong.

[Iwaswondering · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun. I was a bit skeptical of it at first. It sounded like one of those old science fiction kids books from the 80's, which I don't like. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Character development is excellent. I really felt like I knew the characters and understood their individual roles and personalities.

I look forward to reading book #2.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book that is the correct reading level for the intended audience. Story line was interesting and decently paced. The thing that irritated me most was the stereotyping of all the children. The rich kid was a brat, girls swoon over guys, and the poor kid was amazing with no flaws. Overall, the book was what it was billed as. A scifi romp through a space racer world.

[Jen Bojkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice sci/if adventure story. Centers around Benny Love who has won an opportunity to be a part of a space camp on the moon. Considering his family is barely making ends meet- this could be the break they need, but things are not as they should be on the moon. Benny has to figure out what's going on along with the help of a few friends before it's too late.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lonestar 2019.

I used this book this week as an example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover...or by its title. I really was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, but it turned out to be a fun science fiction romp. While some of it was predictable, there was enough that was original to make it interesting. I look forward to reading the next one!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Space

There was something familiar about this book as I read it but I don't think I ever read it before. I really enjoyed the story and how it was brought to life. A resort on the moon and aliens in the end. So many great characters and all brought together so well. It was just a fun story that would be good for all ages.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a surprisingly good book. The beginning of the book reminded me of the hunger games but then it quickly went off on it's own space adventure. It seems like this is just the beginning of these fun and exciting adventures.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A group of 12 year-olds outsmart all of the adults on the Moon, and defend the Earth against an alien invasion from another galaxy...and learn the importance of family, along the way. Please.

Plus: Muscle cars on the Moon?🙄

[Kara Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reluctantly read this to be up to speed on our school choice for battle of the books and was pleasantly surprised. Did it have great character development or depth? No. However, this is for kids and I think they will love the action packed adventure of saving the earth from aliens.

[Brittany Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! I needed a change of pace, and the moon platoon was just what I was looking for. I fell in love with the main character, as well as most of the other characters. At the end of the story, the first thing I wanted to do was pick up the second book of the series.

[techchick94 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a little to get into this book, but it turned out better than I anticipated. Read “Pop’s” review, as it’s well-written and echos much of what I felt. Plausible, heart-warning, if not predictable. Good middle-grade read!