There may be minor spoilers as I try to give an accurate picture of the book.
(The discussion questions will have spoilers, since they are supposed to be used after reading the book.)
Title: Crash Landing
Author: Zac Harrison
Series: This book is the first in a six book series called Hyperspace High.
Targeted Age Range: 8-12
Synopsis: When John Riley catches the wrong bus, he ends up on Hyperspace High--an amazing school on a spaceship! Light years from home, John makes friends with aliens, struggles through Galactic Geography lessons, and eats gross Martian food in the canteen. But John needs to get up to speed fast, or he'll be booted back to Earth. Will an asteroid storm on a school trip give him a chance to prove that you don't have to be top of the class to be a hero?
Language: There are mentions of cursing, and cursing which the Hyperspace High computer doesn't translate. A school bully insults characters with being blind, academically stupid, pathetic, teacher's pets, and "Earthling pets." One time the main character fights back by saying the bully is a coward. Some mentions of "mutant", "kick your butt", and other similar words are made as a joke between family members. A "what the" is cut off, and "gosh" is used once. "Shut up" and "stupid" are used a few times in the book. "Freaky" is used once. Throughout the series, humans are seen as "primitive" to other aliens due to their limited space traveling, which is either taken as an insult or as a joke.
Violence: Due to accidentally being there, the police-like Examiner robots declare John as an intruder and send him out into space to suffocate before he gets rescued. While John is being given a tour of the school, he and his roommate, Kaal, encounter some bullying from a fellow student. Kaal gets angry and starts wrestling with the bully. Due to it being his first time flying a spaceship, John accidentally crashes and blacks out. During the climax of the story, the shuttle John's class is using for a field trip is hit by asteroids and crashes on a planet with erupting volcanoes. This causes him and his friends to suffer burns and other injuries. One of John's other friends, Emmie, gets a broken arm during the incident. There are several threats of death during their adventures.
Romance/Sexual Stuff: When he first meets Emmie, John thinks she's beautiful and starts blushing. After the shuttle was hit by the asteroids, he tells a scared Emmie to hold onto him, which she does. (This may or may not be considered romantic.)
Spiritual Elements: The headmaster of Hyperspace High, Lorem, can see into the future and past. John's alien roommate, is described as having a demonic appearance.
Magic: None
References: There are references to England (where John lives), zero gravity, Star Trek's USS Enterprise, measles, PE class, artificial intelligence, Coldplay, Jay Z, Adele, the Beatles, the Beatles' song "Hey Jude", Asia, Europe, and Skype.
Other Issues: Because it would be impossible to tell his parents what really happened (plus it seems there's no way for him to get home), John and the Headmaster lie to John's parents, saying that he really made it to the school he was supposed to be going to, and telling the school that he came down with measles. The Hyperspace High computer smuggles John a photo of him, Kaal, and Emmie. Another one of his friends also smuggles him candy, encouraging him not to care what the authorities think. When John is about to leave for school, he declines his parents' request to walk with him to the bus stop, saying that it would make him look like a baby. While watching a planet form, Kaal remarks that "someday it might evolve life." John tries to accuse a teacher of something he has no proof of her doing.
Like a helpful reviewer remarked on Goodreads, the book focuses more on the characters and plot than on detailing how the advanced technology works on Hyperspace High. So, if you're looking for a technical, Star Trek-type of science fiction story, you won't find it here.
Where To Buy: Crash Landing is available on Amazon, Walmart, Capstone, eBay, and Kobo (e-books only). There is also an excellently done audiobook version via Audible.
My Age Range: Due to some of the insults and more serious storyline, I think this would be best enjoyed by kids age 11 and up.
Read Aloud: I think it could be a good read aloud.
My Opinion: I stumbled upon this book (and the books that followed it) while looking at stuff on my Kindle. I decided to give it a try. After Crash Landing, I was hooked and wanted to read the rest of the series immediately!
Crash Landing was interesting, exciting, and plain fun to read. Though John doesn't seem to experience any majorly surprising character developments, the things he went through and the experiences he gained at Hyperspace High kept me reading. The whole idea of Hyperspace High sparked my imagination, and I liked how the author went with that concept. Crash Landing is memorable to me because it's well-paced, light, and intriguing all throughout the book.
I noted some similarities to the Harry Potter series while reading this book and the ones that follow it. (Honestly, how can any "kid goes to unique boarding school" book not be compared to Harry Potter even a little nowadays?) However, I think that this series is even better for families because it's more accessible and kid-friendly. I would recommend Crash Landing for any kids who are ready to read Harry Potter but whose parents aren't ready to introduce them to that world. I'd also recommend it for anyone who wants to be involved in space travel and/or get excited about the possibilities that future space missions could open up for us, as well as anyone who has an active imagination.
When talking to John after he first arrives at the school, Headmaster Lorem tells him, "By the way...please don't use the word alien here. That word means something that doesn't belong. No one is an alien on Hyperspace High. We all belong here." I hope that you'll get that sense of belonging if you decide to read this book.
Discussion Questions:
-John accidentally gets sent to an intergalactic school while trying to catch the bus to his ordinary boarding school. If you were John, how would you feel? Did you think he handled the strange situations well?
-John makes three main friends at Hyperspace High: Kaal, Emmie, and Zepp. Which friend do you think helped John feel at home the most? Which character would you choose as your friend?
-If you were in charge of writing about Hyperspace High, how would you have written the story? Did you think the author did a good job of writing Crash Landing? Why or why not?
-What's your opinion of Mordant? Do you think he's all bad? Why do you think he chooses to pick on John?
-The Headmaster of Hyperspace High often tells John things that he uses later. Looking back at the story, how did his predictions come true?
-Which class in Hyperspace High sounded the most fun? Which sounded the least fun?
-John never goes to Wortham Court, but instead decides his place is at Hyperspace High. What led him to think this? Was there anything he could have done to prevent his parents from worrying?
Thanks for joining me for this review! I hope this review helped you, or gave you a suggestion for a friend. I'd love to know if you'd like me to review any of the other books in the series. You can also check out my Review Policy page if you'd like to request a specific book for review.
Join me next week for my review of a fairytale mashup that isn't just for younger kids...
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