Cakes in Space

March 30, 2015
When 10-year-old Astra asks the Nom-o-Tron food synthesizer on her spaceship for the “ultimate cake” (“I want something so delicious, it’s scary!”), she inadvertently sets in motion a wild intergalactic adventure filled with ferocious cakes with razor-sharp teeth, spoon-stealing aliens, and an unlikely but endearing friendship with a Nameless Horror. Astra and her parents (McIntyre’s orange-and-black illustrations reveal them to be a mixed-race family) are heading to Nova Mundi to make “the new planet ready for other people from Earth.” Given that the journey will take 199 years and requires cryogenic stasis in “freezer beds,” there are bound to be some bumps along the way. When Astra awakens during the journey to find their ship off course and under attack, she realizes that she is partly to blame and has to set things right. Though bits of Reeve and McIntyre’s second “Not-So-Impossible Tale” (following 2014’s Oliver and the Seawigs, set in the same world) have a hint of scariness, the kookiness of the characters and McIntyre’s humorous cartoons, which are fully integrated into the story, keep this thrill-ride light and fun. Ages 7–10.

March 1, 2015
The American debut of an acclaimed British comedy.Astra's family sets out on a 199-year journey to planet Nova Mundi. To survive the trip, the passengers will spend the voyage sleeping in a cryogenically frozen state. But before going nearly two centuries between dinner and breakfast, Astra wants a bedtime snack. The ship's food synthesizer's so much fun that she requests the ultimate cake-which apparently breaks the machine, sticking it on a "WORKING" message. Astra dodges responsibility and goes to bed, only to wake up early as the only conscious human on the ship. She soon encounters the monstrous, sentient cakes the synthesizer has spent decades evolving-and worse, the synthesizer's malfunctions have put other essential ship functions at risk! While evading the hungry cakes on her quest to get to the ship's control room and set things to right, Astra encounters a terrifying-looking extraterrestrial life-form that's boarded the ship and is then caught by spoon-loving outer-space salvagers (who have mistaken the sleeping people for dead and declared the drifting ship abandoned). Astra must clean up her mess by stopping both the cakes and the aliens. Vibrant, lively illustrations highlight the ludicrousness of it all. The resolution's weird enough to fit in perfectly with the rest of the story.Campy, 1960s-style science fiction mixes with zany, kid-friendly ridiculousness for extreme fun. (Science fiction. 7-11)

February 1, 2015

Gr 2-5-Ten-year-old Astra and her family are moving to a whole new planet, aptly named Nova Mundi. Since it takes 199 years to get there, the space travelers will be frozen in sleeping pods. Astra's skeptical-and hungry! She decides that she needs a snack before going into hibernation, so she asks the ship's super computer robot, Nom-O-Tron, to make her the "ultimate cake...so delicious it's scary." The robot goes to work, but the girl's parents put her into her sleeping pod before any cake is produced. When Astra wakes up early, she discovers that Nom-O-Tron has made decidedly scary cupcakes that seem to be eating anything they can find. Can Astra and her robot sidekick Pilbeam save the ship? Add some otherworldly pirates and a slithery, creepy alien called the Nameless Horror, and you have a wacky and fast-moving, if somewhat outlandish, adventure. While the full-color cartoon illustrations can seem like something from The Jetsons, that won't matter to budding readers ready to step up to chapter books. Underlying lessons about not judging by appearances and being careful what you ask for contribute to a happy ending with some sci-fi fun along the way. VERDICT An out-of-this-world choice to read alone or read aloud.-Katherine Koenig, The Ellis School, PA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2015
Grades 3-5 Reeve and McIntyre have another not-so-impossible tale hot on the heels of Oliver and the Seawigs (2014). This tells the story of 10-year-old Astra, who is moving with her family to Nova Mundi, a world so far away that it will take 199 years to reach. Don't worry, the ship has special sleeping pods to keep everyone from aging. In need of a prestasis snack, Astra asks the Nom-o-Tron 9000 Food Synthesizer for the most amazing, super-fantastic cake ever! . . . the ultimate cake! Much to her surprise, the Nom-o-Tron begins producing highly evolved, aggressive cakes that take over the ship. With the help of a robot named Pilbeam, Astra attempts to regain control of the ship, defeat the cakes, and hold off the marauding Poglites, who want to scavenge the ship for spoons. Silly? Sure. Well written and illustrated to great comedic effect? Absolutely. Words and graphics work in tandem to spin a goofy yarn that will appeal to reluctant and strong chapter-book readers alike.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2015
Ten-year-old Astra and her family are moving to Nova Mundi, a planet so far away it takes 199 years to get there while frozen in a cryogenic state. Looking for a pre-voyage snack, Astra inadvertently directs one of the spaceship's robots to produce highly evolved, sentient cakes. With full-color cartoon-style illustrations, this is a wacky and hilarious adventure tale for hungry sci-fi fans.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)