Ray O'Ryan

This is the "boy" complement to the Critter Club series I reviewed last week. In fact, they were both bound together in the ARC I received. This is a cute beginning to a series and a nice, if not unique premise, but I had some problems with the book.

So, the idea of the book is that Zack is a perfectly normal kid with annoying twin sisters, dealing with normal kid problems like moving, going to a new school, making friends, and dealing with a school bully (that happens in the next book). He's show more just doing it all in outer space on a planet called Nebulon.

My problem with the book is first that there's no real conflict. It's a sort of Jetson family version of the future. Zack's family first shows up in their own space cruiser, when they arrive at the planet they pick out a futuristic car that pops open and Zack fits more or less in at school and makes a friend immediately. Even his worries about his dog, Luna, left on earth are resolved by the final chapter as his dad brings Luna up to space for him. There isn't really any plot, just Zack looking at weird aliens and their world.

My second problem is more an ongoing annoyance. This is supposed to be a futuristic world and Zack's family a super-normal, everyday family. WHY does Zack have to be blonde and his sisters redheads? Some scientists think the redhead gene is dying out anyways. It's much, much more likely that Zack's family would be biracial or even just brunette. This really annoys me. There's no reason they have to be white, it's just a default for the author and publisher I guess. But seriously? I live in a small, homogeneous, midwestern town. There are still more biracial and African-American kids than there are redheads. And YES, books with kids of color like this will sell - I have lots of kids who love the EllRay Jakes series. I would like artists to add some brown pencils to their art supplies and authors to cross off redheads from their list of descriptions forever PLEASE.

Verdict: I think kids will probably check this out, but they'll be disappointed that nothing interesting really happens and the series will die on the shelf. I'll pass on this and we'll stick with Pamela Service's beginning chapter series about aliens.

ISBN: 9781442453869; Published April 2013 by Simon and Schuster; ARC provided by the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2013 show less

Lower Level Juvenile Fiction
2017

I chose this book because there are so many books with girls as main characters. I wanted to choose something that I could readily recommend to a boy. I've often noticed that girls will read books about girls or boys - but boys tend to only want to read books where the main character is male. I'm aware this is a generalization, but in my experience, I can recommend books with either gender to girls and be successful. Whereas, boys want those main characters to show more be boys (though a book like Harry Potter is okay with the main characters being both).

This book is the 15th in the series - so I would probably end up recommending the first book (though it does seem to be a series that you wouldn't *have* to read in order). It reads like an independent story, though, there were some terms (like the aliens using grape instead of great in a sentence) that the reader would benefit from knowing about ahead of time.

Galaxy Zack has the classic look of the lower juvenile fiction books - it's a chapter book, but the pictures often take up one whole page - with text on the opposite page. As well, the whole page may have pictures with the text on top of it. The font type is larger with only about 20-50 words per page. It's preparing those younger patrons for more advanced chapter books, while still consisting of several illustrations as a step up from picture books.

Zack and his family moved from Earth to the planet Nebulon. He has made great friends there - but his best friend is Drake. Zack, Drake and their two friends Sally and Seth are in a racing club and they were picked to represent the Zoomers in the Interstellar Space Race! They have designed three different rockets and get to race around three different planets to determine who will be the best in the galaxy! Along the way, they are faced with different obstacles (both in the race and amongst themselves) that they will have to overcome if they are to win or even place in the overall race.

One of the things I really liked about this book was that their actions had consequences. For example, in the second race, one of Zack's friends doesn't follow directions and refuses to listen to their navigator. This ends up with them not being able to finish the second race. His friend has to deal with his own inner turmoil as well as the backlash from his friends - but they all eventually come to an understanding. In the third race, there are a lot of obstacles and while they do come from behind, they do not win first place overall. They do make third place, though. I felt this was an important lesson for children to learn - they won't excel at everything, but that doesn't mean they should stop or give up. Working together and striving for your best still has a good outcome, even though it may not be the one you were hoping for in the beginning.

I would recommend this to kids who like books about space, friendships, adventure. I can't remember a child checking this out, so I'm excited to have this one in my back pocket when someone is looking for something new to read. show less

What is better than a basket full of chocolate eggs? How about a planet made out of sugar and candy! Join Zack and his best friend Drake as they head to Planet Gluco for some Easter excitement and a friendly competition that tests their friendship. Is cheating ever a good answer?

Galaxy Zack is an ongoing series that is great for early chapter readers. The text is simple and fun with graphics on every page. Set in a galaxy far far away this book will stretch the imagination of small readers show more with quirky aliens and wacky new worlds to explore. The characters are fun and go through similar issues that small children can identify with easily. The story moves quickly with a short lesson to be learned at the end. The dialog is easy for emerging readers to understand and enjoy. Fans of Mercy Watson, Junie B Jones, Judy Moody, and Stink will likely pick up this series.

I found this title to be a fast read that will appeal to early chapter readers who are crazy about space. The lessons in the series are short and age appropriate with the right amount of action and graphics to keep the reader engaged. show less

Light and silly, with lots of fun gadgets and a made-up planet to explore.