*Guardians of the GalaxymeetsThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*in this wild, warm-hearted, and hilarious sci-fi debut about a brainy young girl who is recruited for a very special boarding school.
"It's like Harry Potter, but with science instead of magic. Nikola is exactly the smart female protagonist that the sci-fi genre needs." --HelloGiggles**
Nikola Kross has given up on living in harmony with classmates and exasperated teachers: she prefers dabbling in experimental chemistry to fitting in. But when her life is axially inverted by a gang of extraterrestrials who kidnap her dad and attempt to recruit her into their service, she discovers he's been keeping a world of secrets from her--including the school for geniuses where she's sent for refuge, a place where classes like Practical Quantum Mechanics are the norm and where students use wormholes to commute to class. For Nikola, the hard part isn't school, it's making friends, especially when the student body isn't (entirely) human. But the most puzzling paradox of all is Nikola herself, who has certain abilities that no one understands--abilities that put her whole school in greater danger than she could have imagined.
"A glorious cacophony of wildly inventive gadgets, gags, and action." --* *Kirkus Reviews*, starred review
"An amazing and often hilarious world that feels like a blend of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter, but with futuristic inventions rather than magic." --* *School Library Connection*, starred review
"Smart, energetic, and original . . . Readers will willingly jump with Nikola into the nearest wormhole and next adventure." -- *School Library Journal*
From School Library Journal
Gr 5–8—Stuck in a jet-propelled trailer during an escape from an alien gang, Nikola Kross muses, "Before long, I would either be safe or dead. Either way, my problems were over." Despite the fact that Nikola is a certified genius, about this, she is wrong. Between alien invasions, the mysterious disappearance of her father, a rocket-powered mobile home, and a strange arrival at an even stranger school in the middle of nowhere, her troubles are only beginning. Sappingfield's debut is smart, energetic, and original. The writing is light and humorous as it tackles a super-galactic adventure. Nikola's spinning, whizzing inner monologue and sardonic take on the world around her are amusing, but they often alienate her from her peers (or, as her guidance counselor Ms. Hiccup terms them, "horrible people" whose parents are "horrible people," in an uneasy confirmation of Nikola's somewhat smug superiority). Given that she's led a nomadic life without a mother and with a detached father who is brilliant himself, it's easy to see why she would have developed a protective, incisive sense of humor by middle school. She much prefers solo scientific experimentation to social activities. But once she lands at a secret school for geniuses like her, she finds that all the puzzling in the world can't guarantee an answer to the most perplexing question of all: who she is herself. While the subject matter (secret abilities, extraterrestrials) will please a middle grade audience, at times the references and tone skew toward older readers. VERDICT Though some jokes may soar over middle grade heads, most readers will willingly jump with Nikola into the nearest wormhole and next adventure.—Chelsea Woods, New Brunswick Free Public Library, NJ
Review
“It’s like Harry Potter, but with science instead of magic. Nikola is exactly the smart female protagonist that the sci-fi genre needs.” —HelloGiggles
"Absolute outlandishness, an endless parade of jokes (both sly and knee-slapping), incredibly wacky worldbuilding and characters, and a savvy, refreshing irreverence for the genre. Readers will clamor for more. A glorious cacophony of wildly inventive gadgets, gags, and action." -- Kirkus Reviews* , starred review
"An amazing and often hilarious world that feels like a blend of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter, but with futuristic inventions rather than magic." -- School Library Connection* , starred review
"Sappingfield’s debut is smart, energetic, and original. The writing is light and humorous as it tackles a super-galactic adventure.... Readers will willingly jump with Nikola into the nearest wormhole and next adventure." -- *School Library Journal
"This adventure is perfect for any sf lover.... Readers will certainly be cheering for Nikola and her friends." -- Booklist
"Nikola’s blunt wit makes for entertaining reading in debut author Sappingfield’s frenetic SF comedy. The school’s fantastical elements are inventive and fun, but it’s Nikola’s longing for friends that forms the heart of the story." -- *Publishers Weekly
"Sappingfield excels at world-building, keeps the action popping, and takes playful potshots at the sci-fi and fantasy genres. Funny, imaginative, and outlandish as it may be, Sappingfield’s novel is also a heartfelt tale of a thirteen-year-old girl navigating friendships for the first time." *--The Horn Book Magazine
"Refreshingly original." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Description:
*Guardians of the Galaxy meets The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy *in this wild, warm-hearted, and hilarious sci-fi debut about a brainy young girl who is recruited for a very special boarding school.
"It's like Harry Potter, but with science instead of magic. Nikola is exactly the smart female protagonist that the sci-fi genre needs." --HelloGiggles**
Nikola Kross has given up on living in harmony with classmates and exasperated teachers: she prefers dabbling in experimental chemistry to fitting in. But when her life is axially inverted by a gang of extraterrestrials who kidnap her dad and attempt to recruit her into their service, she discovers he's been keeping a world of secrets from her--including the school for geniuses where she's sent for refuge, a place where classes like Practical Quantum Mechanics are the norm and where students use wormholes to commute to class. For Nikola, the hard part isn't school, it's making friends, especially when the student body isn't (entirely) human. But the most puzzling paradox of all is Nikola herself, who has certain abilities that no one understands--abilities that put her whole school in greater danger than she could have imagined.
"A glorious cacophony of wildly inventive gadgets, gags, and action." --* *Kirkus Reviews *, starred review
"An amazing and often hilarious world that feels like a blend of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter, but with futuristic inventions rather than magic." --* *School Library Connection *, starred review
"Smart, energetic, and original . . . Readers will willingly jump with Nikola into the nearest wormhole and next adventure." -- *School Library Journal *
From School Library Journal
Gr 5–8—Stuck in a jet-propelled trailer during an escape from an alien gang, Nikola Kross muses, "Before long, I would either be safe or dead. Either way, my problems were over." Despite the fact that Nikola is a certified genius, about this, she is wrong. Between alien invasions, the mysterious disappearance of her father, a rocket-powered mobile home, and a strange arrival at an even stranger school in the middle of nowhere, her troubles are only beginning. Sappingfield's debut is smart, energetic, and original. The writing is light and humorous as it tackles a super-galactic adventure. Nikola's spinning, whizzing inner monologue and sardonic take on the world around her are amusing, but they often alienate her from her peers (or, as her guidance counselor Ms. Hiccup terms them, "horrible people" whose parents are "horrible people," in an uneasy confirmation of Nikola's somewhat smug superiority). Given that she's led a nomadic life without a mother and with a detached father who is brilliant himself, it's easy to see why she would have developed a protective, incisive sense of humor by middle school. She much prefers solo scientific experimentation to social activities. But once she lands at a secret school for geniuses like her, she finds that all the puzzling in the world can't guarantee an answer to the most perplexing question of all: who she is herself. While the subject matter (secret abilities, extraterrestrials) will please a middle grade audience, at times the references and tone skew toward older readers. VERDICT Though some jokes may soar over middle grade heads, most readers will willingly jump with Nikola into the nearest wormhole and next adventure.—Chelsea Woods, New Brunswick Free Public Library, NJ
Review
“It’s like Harry Potter, but with science instead of magic. Nikola is exactly the smart female protagonist that the sci-fi genre needs.” —HelloGiggles
"Absolute outlandishness, an endless parade of jokes (both sly and knee-slapping), incredibly wacky worldbuilding and characters, and a savvy, refreshing irreverence for the genre. Readers will clamor for more. A glorious cacophony of wildly inventive gadgets, gags, and action." -- Kirkus Reviews* , starred review
"An amazing and often hilarious world that feels like a blend of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter, but with futuristic inventions rather than magic." -- School Library Connection* , starred review
"Sappingfield’s debut is smart, energetic, and original. The writing is light and humorous as it tackles a super-galactic adventure.... Readers will willingly jump with Nikola into the nearest wormhole and next adventure." -- *School Library Journal
"Nikola’s blunt wit makes for entertaining reading in debut author Sappingfield’s frenetic SF comedy. The school’s fantastical elements are inventive and fun, but it’s Nikola’s longing for friends that forms the heart of the story." -- *Publishers Weekly
"Sappingfield excels at world-building, keeps the action popping, and takes playful potshots at the sci-fi and fantasy genres. Funny, imaginative, and outlandish as it may be, Sappingfield’s novel is also a heartfelt tale of a thirteen-year-old girl navigating friendships for the first time." *--The Horn Book Magazine
"Refreshingly original." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Topsy-turvy and wild and fun.” * *—Brightly