Sterling Squadron

March 15, 2012
A young pilot trainee needs to recruit more to defend Earth against an alien menace in this made-for-video-game sci-fi adventure. In volume one of this series (The Resisters, 2011), Ethan Blackwood found out Earth was overrun by an alien species long before he was born. Kidnapped and then recruited to fight with the last remaining humans, he's learned how to fight as only a 12-year-old in a massively built cyborg wasp can. Ethan's still in flight training when he discovers that the alien Ch'zar have been expanding their forces across the planet with terrifying speed. Ethan and his fellow pilots are up for the battle, but there just aren't enough of them. They need more, kids who are old enough and strong enough to control the bio-tech insect weapons that are the only way to fight against the enemy. Adults can't fly without being absorbed into the collective Ch'zar mind, and most kids live in the simulated safety that Ethan came from, unprepared for the truth, much less the fight. But Ethan knows where they can find kids who are ready for the challenge: the Sterling Reform School, where the troublemakers are sent. Well developed, with an action-packed plot and good characterizations, this is a strong sequel leaving room for more to follow. Tailor-made for gamers, this adventure fills a niche. (Science fiction. 10-14)

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July 1, 2012
Twelve-year-old Ethan Blackwood ([cf2]The Resisters[cf1]) is a young showoff with some potential to lead his fellow resisters in a futuristic, alien-controlled Earth. He flouts the community's rules, then ropes his comrades into a dangerous, unapproved operation to recruit new resisters. The thin plot and bland adult characters are drawbacks, but video-game-quality action keeps the story in high gear for adventure lovers.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)