Spore

While this book involves the force, a reference to Jedi Knights, an ambitious "servant" of the Emperor, asteroid dwelling space slugs and Imperial storm troopers, those are the only elements of the Star Wars storyline that are used. None of the main characters in the movie series is mentioned. Thirteen-year-old Tash Arranda is traveling with her brother Zak and her uncle Hoole and they need a mineral for their ship that can only be acquired in a mining colony located in an asteroid field. Fandomar is an Ithorian, one of the creatures appearing in the classic bar scene in episode IV of the Star Wars saga. The Ithorians are the creatures with the flat heads and bulbous eye sockets and a hologram of an Ithorian appears on the front cover. An ancient evil known as Spore was imprisoned on an asteroid in the mining colony and when the tomb is opened, Spore infects the miner and boards the ship. Spore is able to send out tendrils that infect others and bends them to its' will. The evil Jerec, the servant of the Emperor, tries to reach a deal with Spore so that Jerec will be able to overthrow the Emperor and seize power. When Zak and Hoole are brought under the control of Spore, Tash finds herself in serious trouble, but her basic capability of using the force saves her until she can lull Jerec and Spore into a trap that damages Jerec's Star Destroyer and sends Spore into a quiescent state. All creatures that were under the control of Spore and that were not killed are released and their normal personalities emerge. This is an excellent story for young people that continues and expands the Star Wars saga. There are many ways to encourage young people to read and they will find this book interesting and sufficiently challenging in terms of reading level. That is a combination to be commended and encouraged.

What is "Spore?" It's something beyond your imagination! When I read this, I couldn't believe what I was reading--I had never thought of something like "Spore." When you read about this, you'll probably be just as shocked as I was. This book is full of surprises. I would recommend this book for children under 11 years old, simply because older kids might be slightly bored by it, although this book has few flaws.