Astronomical sci-fi blends suspense, romance

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This article was published 18/02/2023 (1263 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Many of today’s young adult books are set in strange and menacing apocalyptic worlds, but none are stranger than A Wilderness of Stars by Oregon writer Shea Ernshaw (Simon & Schuster, 400 pages, $24, hardcover). Here Vega, a young woman named after a star, is living on a different planet.

Vega, at her mother’s death bed, is told she is The Astronomer, who must use the stars to guide her to a solution to the illness affecting her planet. The map is written on her skin, and others may try to kidnap her to read its meaning.

There’s plenty of suspense in this science fiction novel and also an element of romance once Vega links up with Noah, and she finds he is The Architect, who is her guide. Noah and Vega evade enemies and escape imprisonment as they search for a hidden sea which holds a priceless treasure from the past.

Readers who have studied the stars will find special satisfaction in the chapter prefaces, which describe different constellations. Black holes, those strange unknown areas of the universe, take on a special malevolence here, perhaps influenced by the menace of the pandemic.

Ernshaw is the author of two other young adult novels: The Wicked Deep and Winterwood. This is aimed at readers age 12 and up.

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Pre-teen readers will be intrigued by The Lightcasters (Aladdin, 352 pages, $24, hardcover), by London-based Janelle McCurdy.

Twelve-year-old Mia and her young brother, Lucas, have always lived in a time of darkness. The Reaper King has stolen all the light from their planet, Nubis.

Mia longs for adventure, but when her parents are captured by followers of the Reaper King, she and Lucas and their friends Miles, TJ and Jada must face their enemies alone. They are helped (but sometimes hindered) by their umbra, magical creatures who are part animal, part human, and bond with specific persons.

This mid-level novel is part of a series called The Umbra Tales by the U.K. author. It’s a tale of danger and resilience that will appeal to adventure and fantasy enthusiasts.

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If you have young reader who thinks books are boring, perhaps you need to show them This Book is Not a Present by New York actor Max Greenfield (Putnam, 40 pages, $25, hardcover). With comical text and amusing illustrations by Atlanta artist Mike Lowery, it suggests all the reasons the book is not a present— until it’s finished and the reluctant reader realizes he or she has read it all.

With large type that leaps off the page, it’s full of humorous statements such as “Imagine how different my life would be if I had just gotten Bingo the dog.” Or “This better not be a chapter book. If this book is a chapter book I’m going to absolutely explode!”

Greenfield says he wrote this book for his two young children. For ages 3-6.

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For a more nostalgic treatment of a book for non-readers look for the 25th anniversary edition of The Girl Who Hated Books (Second Story Press, $25, hardcover) by Manjusha Pawagi.

This well-loved story describes how Meena discovers the joys of reading when a tower of books is accidentally knocked over. As characters spill from the books, Meena opens their pages to find where each belongs. In this riotous mixture of “princes and princesses, fairies and frogs,” Meena discovers there are unexpected joys within their covers.

This book was made into an NFB animated short which is also available on YouTube. Besides letters sent to the author, it features the original amusing illustrations by Saskatchewan-born, now Montreal-based artist Leanne Franson. For ages 4-8.

Helen Norrie is a Winnipeg author and former teacher/ librarian who has several towers of books in her home.