Review: The Galaxy Pirates – Hunt for the Pyxis

The Galaxy Pirates by Zoe Ferraris
Genre: Fantasy/Children’s
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Date: August 4, 2015

Emma Garton has a pretty normal life. Her dad travels for business. Her mom is a typical homemaker. No big deal. But her BFF, Herbie, is convinced that something hinky is up with her parents. Namely, her father. He keep trying to tell Emma that her dad is a spy or a secret agent or something. Every time he tells her that, she laughs. That’s until the night that people break into her home, she gets shoved into a secret hidden place in her dad’s study and her parents are kidnapped. Then she grudgingly has to admit that Herbie might just be right.

A lot of curiosity, some exploring, and a few brave decisions later and Emma discovers that her parents are not only different. They are the farthest thing from normal that you could imagine! In fact, they’re from space. Different planets! And her mom is a pirate! No, really.

Emma and Herbie embark on an adventure that runs across dimensions of space far beyond anything that she could have ever imagined. New planets. New stars. New species…it’s all different and it’s all terrifyingly adventurous.

I loved this book. In fact, I passed it right off to my 11 year old son the second I was done with it and I rarely, if ever, do that. It can sometimes be difficult to find books that both kids and their parents like. This one hit the ball out of the park for both.  Ferraris has created a fun new land that’s both frightening and imaginative. Her descriptions made it easy to picture the exotic locations and the new creatures and technology were fantastic!

The plot moved along at a brisk pace, never giving me a chance to get lost in heavy complexities or bored with long passages begging for excitement. Each new twist and turn was cloaked in just enough mystery to keep me curious and wanting more.

The characters were fun and dynamic. There were no standard caricatures here. Many of the aspects of the story revolved around the interesting relationships that were developing as the plot moved forward. This helped keep the reading fresh and exciting.

This was easily one of the best books for tweens I’ve read in even the past few years. High marks from me on The Galaxy Pirates. Both kids and adults can enjoy this adventure.

Review copy provided by the publisher. THANK YOU!