I love Hoover's stuff - consistently good SF for the primary aged reader - and this book has given me no reason to change my beliefs. The story follows Abby and Bryan, two highly privileged kids who get accidentally shipped off to a 'special' school, that basically involves the kind of grunt work of building a space station that can't be left to machines. It is a story about learning how the other half lives, about learning to see how good your life really is, and about growing through adversity. I didn't read it with a critical eye, but just let myself get absorbed in the story, so no serious commentary on this one. ( )

Hmm. The story and characters are only ok, but the SF aspects are, imo, pretty wonderful for an older juvenile. This would be good for a kids' book-club. They could discuss, for example, whether they'd prefer to live on a safe & clean habitat, or on wild & wooly Earth. Or discuss the issue of child labor - and is it ok when the child is an orphan languishing in a poorly run home, or is there a way to help orphans live better lives...

This is also a book crying for a sequel. What happens to our MCs when they grow up? Are there reforms made to the systems that care for orphans and JDs? What's up with Bryan's father? ( )