Alien Road

Volume XXVII / Issue 38 - June 4 / 2021

Alien Road

Author: 
M. J. McIsaac
Series: 
Orca Currents
Victoria, BC: Orca, August, 2021
131 pp., trade pbk., pdf & epub, $10.95 (pbk.)
ISBN: 
9781459826984 (pbk.)
9781459826991 (pdf)
9781459827004 (epub)
Grades: 
Grades 4-7
Ages: 
Ages 9-12
Review by: 
Review by Deborah Mervold and Kenzi Gerein (Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy)
4
Excerpt: 

His cheeks have turned a shade of tomato now. I remember how he had started to cry yesterday when he first told me about the Bermuda Triangle. I figured he was just being a baby. I didn’t realize he was scared enough to research it. “I don`t think you`re silly,” I say, looking back at the screen. I just think you`ve let your imagination make a big deal out of nothing. Everyone knows the stories about the Bermuda Triangle are just that – stories.

You really have to …`

I stop. Something on the screen has caught my eye.

“What?” asks Karl, learning forward.

The skin on my arms starts to tingle.

An entry on the bottom of the list has a very familiar ship name.

Paradise. Eight passengers. Six crew. Lost at sea. Never recovered.

Karl, who is 10, his dad and his dad`s girlfriend rent a yacht called Paradise 2. They invite Ridge, 13, and his mom along with Ash, 16, and her mom for a trip during spring break. The trip will culminate in Nassau, but, to get there, they will travel through the Bermuda Triangle. Ridge is excited for the journey, but Karl is nervous, especially after he researches the internet and finds all the ships, planes, and people who have disappeared in this part of the ocean. Ridge becomes concerned when he learns the fate of the first ship named Paradise. Penelope is one of two young girls working on the ship. She wears a necklace with a special symbol which seems to have some significance. The boys are uneasy when they see Penelope drawing the symbol under the furniture on the deck. When the instruments go down for no apparent reason and the others start acting like zombies, they realize that it`s up to them to save the ship, her passengers and crew.

Alien Road is an excellent story about determination, team work and the quest of the unknown. There are 15 chapters in this high action novel. The plot is fast moving and has elements of science fiction and fantasy. This title is part of the “Orca Currents” series which makes this an excellent choice for reluctant readers. Alien Road would also be an excellent read-aloud choice. There would be many opportunities for discussion around the Bermuda Triangle and behaviour in uncertain situations. Language is very suitable for the intended age group. It would be an excellent addition to any collection.

Highly Recommended
Reviewer: 

Deborah Mervold is a retired educator from Shellbrook, Saskatchewan, with experience as a high school English teacher and teacher-librarian as well as post-secondary experience working with instructors at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. She is a lifelong learner with a love of reading. Kenzi Gerein is a Grade 7 student from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Kenzi is an avid reader with a passion for books.