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First Contact: The Terra Prime Adventures Book 1

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Earth's very first space colonists are on their way to Terra Prime. While they are all in hypersleep, 12-year-old Zack Platt is mistakenly awakened by the starship Constellation's Artificial Intelligence, Sally, when she discovers that something has set off the ship's motion detectors! Is it friend or foe? And why was a 12-year-old boy awakened to investigate?First Contact is the first book in a new series about the colonists of the starship Constellation and their adventures getting to Terra Prime and then colonizing the new planet. It is written for ages 6-11.Praise from "We read this aloud with our kids and they loved it...two tentacles up!""This was a great book, I highly recommend it for kids!""Great storytelling and vivid use of language and imagination.""A well-written and entertaining story for young science fiction fans.""Can't wait for Book #2!""I totally recommend this series!""A good, solid, clean adventure story that kids will enjoy!"The Terra Prime Adventures is a sci-fi adventure series of chapter books for ages 6-11. They were created to introduce the joys of science fiction to a young audience in a family-friendly way. They are positive, age-appropriate, and they focus on problem-solving and facing your fears in difficult situations. They follow the adventures of 12-year-old Zack Platt and his family as they leave Earth to begin a new life on the planet Terra Prime.

111 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 6, 2021

5 people are currently reading
12 people want to read

About the author

T.D. Patrick

6 books5 followers

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Emily.
182 reviews57 followers
July 15, 2024
I don’t usually gravitate toward sci-fi stories, but I enjoyed this one (even as an adult)!

There’s suspense, mystery, and themes of bravery, problem solving, strategic planning, and prudence. I also appreciated the illustrations - they were well placed for visualizing certain technology as well as key moments.

It’s a short chapter book written for ages ~6-11. I’d recommend for younger kids as well, as long as they would be ok with a few tense moments and some mentions of a laser blaster. It would also make a fun family read-aloud!

Zack (age 12) is mistakenly woken up early from hypersleep on a starship in space. He realizes he’s the only person awake and needs to address a potential threat on the ship. Humans have not yet encountered alien life, but he feels sure it will be an alien!
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Notable Quotes:

“Gather your intel and then make a good plan. But be willing to change it on a dime - life never goes according to plan.”

“You can’t be brave unless you face situations where you have to be brave. He knew that bravery wasn’t about not being scared, but about being scared and doing the right thing anyway.”

I also liked a section explaining how a dad used a really gentle and kind method to help his child overcome a fear of the dark.
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Content:

A couple of funny remarks about some food tasting like stinky feet / “stinky feet bars.”

Laser blasters exist that can “stun, wound, or kill.”

Computer AI “Sally” that can talk, learn, and grow.

Concern that someone might be killed.

No actual violence.

No romance, magic, or profanity.
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Note: The author provided me with a digital copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. I don’t know the author personally.
Profile Image for Phyllis Wheeler.
Author 17 books32 followers
January 7, 2022
This chapter book for early readers makes a very good homeschool read-aloud. In First Contact, Book 1 of Terra Prime Adventures, T.D. Patrick tells the story of Zack, 12. He’s one of 1500 colonists snoozing in hyper-sleep for nine months while rocketing away from Earth to colonize a new world.

It’s time to wake up! Zack is shocked to discover he’s the only one awake. Sally, the shipboard computer, wants him to deal with an unknown intruder sneaking around on the fifth level among the supplies.

In waking Zack, she’s made a mistake. Zack’s dad, head of security, had switched pods with Zack at the last minute when it was time to snooze. Now inflexible Sally won’t wake up Dad because the occupant of Zack’s pod is the only one authorized to be awake. So confronting the intruder is up to Zack. It’s a good thing he’s had some training from his dad in dealing with scary stuff!

This well-constructed slender chapter book, first of a series, seems a good book for boys. It also promotes courage and other virtues, and we need more books like that! Anime-style drawings may be just what the youngsters are looking for. It’s perfect as a homeschool read-aloud.

Sci fi fans will particularly enjoy it, along with kids who are ready for short, illustrated chapter books.
Profile Image for Brittany Jacobson.
17 reviews2 followers
January 12, 2024
This book has everything that a junior high schooler wants. aliens , drama, bravery.

I really loved the first book in the series. Because it shows the courage and bravery of the young boy named Zach. I loved how the father taught him how to be brave when he was afraid of the dark. When Zach was a little boy.

This book has great examples of what a father son should look like. It teaches about how to be brave and take charge in scary situations. This book is very refreshing for a junior high or high schooler I recommend it five out five stars
Profile Image for Leonardo Antonio.
66 reviews11 followers
March 9, 2024
I used the book for my daughters of 5 and 6. The book is short but we needed to go over a few nights to cover it completely before they going to sleep.

They enjoyed the humor, they liked the illustration and were happy to discover we have the other books in the collection to continue reading.

I’m delighted that the author tried to create science fiction for little kids, and also to make it family friendly.
10 reviews
March 6, 2023
Great read aloud for bedtime or am independent book for beginner readers. It has a feel to Star Trek. Great story about a boy and his experiences being the only human awake on their trip to a new planet. Clean story with family values.
49 reviews
August 8, 2021
It’s hard to find good kids sci-fi! Super fun!
Profile Image for Peter Wills.
45 reviews1 follower
August 8, 2021
A great book for kids - if they like sci-fi adventures, this is the book for them!
Profile Image for Jason Whitaker.
37 reviews15 followers
October 23, 2022
I will be doing a review of this series. It's aimed at kids 6-12 and I have some thoughts on it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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