Larklight

LARKLIGHT by Philip Reeve
Illustrated by David Wyatt
Category: Science Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 9/19/06
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Reviewed by: Lynn Crow
Rating: 5 Stars

When eleven-year-old Art Mumby finds out that a visitor is arriving at his run-down home, Larklight, which floats in space
beyond the moon, he hardly expects to be thrust into a frightening adventure of pirates, plates, and a millenium-long conflict
upon which the fate of the solar system rests. He tells the story of this adventure in LARKLIGHT (occasionally giving his
older sister, Myrtle, a chance to narrate via her diary), and the story is nothing if not fantastic.

Philip Reeve (author of the HUNGRY CITY CHRONICLES) has created another fascinating world in LARKLIGHT. Art
lives in the Victorian society of the 1800's--or rather, what Victorian society would have looked like if they'd developed
space travel, and astronomy worked according to early speculations about aether (an air-like substance in space that people
can move and breathe in), and interplanetary beings (Venus, Mars, and the moons of Jupiter are all home to a variety of life
forms). Reeve cuts no corners, painting the cities and citizens of the solar system in dazzling detail. The setting is a gorgeous
mix of fantasy and science fiction, and fans of both genres will find much to enjoy.

If the world wasn't exciting enough on its own, the adventure is of the edge-of-your-seat variety. Art and Myrtle tumble from
one tense situation to another with alarming frequency. Most chapters end on cliffhangers, so be prepared to have trouble
finding a place to pause. Reeve throws in enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing right until the end, and both Art
and Myrtle get the chance to play hero.

Art, as the main character, is not yet a teen himself, so teens may find his narration a little immature for their liking. If they're
willing to give him a chance, though, they will discover that LARKLIGHT is a fast-paced, imaginative journey well worth
taking.