The Boy from Earth. Cute title, Cute Cover, and absolutely a cute story. I really dived right into the story.

Twelve year old Bobby Baxter lives a quiet life with his father and Roger, their pet snail. That is, his life used to be quiet (and predictable) until the morning the front door of their apartment was smashed in. Now Bobby is on his way to the planet Andarma.

This is not ideal for a boy with so many fears. You should believe Bobby when he says he is afraid of 689 things (so far) because he has made a list. Although it’s not spelled out in DSM-5 language, I’d also like to diagnose Bobby with agoraphobia.

So, what’s a scared Earthling going to do on Andarma? He’s been chosen to attend Galactic Space Academy, a twelve week intensive training program. At the end of this program students (those who survive, that is) gain entry to the Space League.

There Bobby meets the rest of the Gold team:
* Conspiracy theorist Talia
* Zim and Zam, who can finish each other’s sentences
* Targ, who’s not a fan of Bobby, or hanging out with the rest of the team, or smiling
* Gooba, who often quotes from The Book of Err, despite not understanding the meaning of most of its wise teachings.

‘Err says that life is like a planet within a melon inside a glass egg’

The thing is, no one from Earth has ever been invited to the Galactic Space Academy before. Earth aren’t even part of the Confederation. And it seems as though someone really doesn’t want a boy from Earth in attendance.

During their time at the Galactic Space Academy, Bobby and his team will learn the value of perseverance and teamwork. There’s danger, action, humour and the unexpected ahead.

‘Rule 1A: Expect the unexpected’

I definitely want to read more books by this author.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

My 11 year old enjoyed this book a lot! I can't get him to read a whole lot, but he was drawn in by this story and was excited to keep reading!

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing me a copy of “The Boy from Earth” by Darrell Pitt in exchange for my review.

This was such a fun book to read. The story reminded me of one of a Star Trek episodes that you cannot stop watching once you start. This fast paced roller-coaster keeps you on your toes from the first page. Being a space adventure, I initially felt that the description of the setting and the plot would be hard to follow. However, the story is told in a very simple manner for younger readers to enjoy, and the plot is also interesting for adults to appreciate. There are so many things happening in this story, from secret adversaries, diabolical schemes to children saving the world. This is all blended with good character development where the hero learns about friendship and confidence with a dash of humor. The gadgets mentioned are also innovative, and I wish I had access to the Immersive Learning System to learn all the languages easily.

The characters are unique and charming in their own manner. I liked Bobby as the main character. Even though he is scared of everything, it was inspiring to see him gradually gain confidence. My favorite character was Gooba. He is so bubbly and profound that I wanted to give him a big hug whenever he made an appearance. My least favorite character was Talia, only because of her boring personality and taking everything being said in a literal sense. Zim-Zam were fun, but they didn’t have much visibility in the story. The dialogues are sharp and funny. Each character has a distinct personality and invoked their own unique humor into the story. Even the instructors in the Academy were interesting. I especially liked Instructor Balatron and his scare tactics, and Instructor Oolite for those interesting classes with the ILS. I wish we had these kind of classes growing up.

Darrell Pitt’s style of writing is delightful and smooth to read. He sticks to the point and brings the adventure to life in the story. He doesn’t drag on with too many details, and keeps the pacing consistent. James Hart has also done a very nice job on the illustrations. The illustrations are cute and comical, but have quite a few details that make it stand out.

Overall, “The Boy from Earth” is worth reading. I feel that we have not seen the last of Bobby Baxter and there is a sequel in the works. I rate this book 4/5 stars!

I had the honor of receiving a copy of The Boy From Earth in return for an honest review. Though rather than read this book myself, I handed it over to my ten year old son to enjoy and give me his thoughts on it; he fits the book's audience much more so than I!

This middle grade book follows a young boy, Bobby, who is scared of almost everything, which makes the prospect of attending an international Space Academy all the more frightening. My son, who has a few fears of his own, was easily able to relate to Bobby, and right from the first chapter was invested in the character and how the story would unfold. It was funny, and my son was laughing while reading frequently, and the fact that it was set in space too was just the icing on the cake as far as he was concerned.

It was perhaps a little bit below his reading level, so it was a quick and easy book for him to read, but he still loved it all the same.

First up I want to thank the publisher for granting me access to this book, I was really quite looking forward to reading it, sadly... it was just not meant to be. Right from the first page I just wanted to throttle the MC. Good grief, I get that he is scared... but of everything? Whut? No. I just didn't like it and he kept whining about the tiniest things.

Plus sorry, threatening a kid (who is already terrified of everything in life) to go to that school or else. :| It just seemed overkill. I get that they want the kid to join, it is a big honour, but sorry, to just threaten them that they will lose their job? Kill their snail?

Though I do want those EyeTalk lenses. :P

So yeah, I tried, but this book was just not for me. Sadly. :(

The Boy From Earth was an adventurous read, great for any reluctant reader.

If you love Guardians of the Galaxy, you'll love The Boy From Earth by Darrell Pitt. It's a fast-paced, boot-camp-flavored adventure filled with humor, heart, and unforgettable characters.

The tale follows Bobby Baxter, the first person from Earth chosen to join the Galactic Space Academy, as he learns to expect the unexpected. He and his friends investigate a conspiracy they believe is linked to the sabotage of Bobby's spacecraft. But, in the end, they uncover a far more dangerous plot. Will Bobby find the courage to prevail, even against those working to ensure he fails?

My eleven-year-old son and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's one we could read over and over again.

Does Everything Very Well

Across the board this was a well-crafted and entertaining early middle grade space adventure.

I wasn't so sure right at the outset. Our hero, twelve year old Bobby, is timid, keeps a list of things he's frightened of, and seemed a bit of a sad sack. Uh oh, I thought, this could be a bit of a slog. Well, excuuuuuse me for being a grump. While the plot and story arc are certainly predictable, this is a funny, even sly and witty, tale populated by a gang of extremely personable and engaging kids.

The frame is classic. Earth is an obscure back end of nowhere planet. Out of the blue Bobby is invited, indeed compelled, to become a cadet at the Galactic Space Academy. To decline the invitation would be unthinkable, so off Bobby goes on an adventure he doesn't want to a place about which he knows nothing. He finds himself assigned to Gold Squad, which consists of a smart alien girl, a loyal lumbering alien guy, a two-headed alien inventor kid(s), and a mean spoiled rich kid alien. Really, you say to yourself, could this get any more predictable?

But, all of these characters are nicely developed. Bobby shakes off the timid scaredy-cat persona early on. Smart girl is deadpan funny and a little Goth/twisty around the edges. (Think Hermione Granger with tentacles.)There's a running and rather good joke to the effect that she thinks Earthmen are still in the loincloth stage trying to invent fire, so she's always surprised when Bobby actually knows things. Meanwhile lumbering loyal kid is sweet tempered and gung ho. He is constantly spouting garbled phrases of wisdom from the Book of Err, and this running joke actually gets funnier as the book goes on. Inventor alien is a fine source of gadgets and mean spoiled alien is soft pedaled and humanized early on. So, by the time you're into week two of GSA boot camp the team has come together, it has excellent spirit, it's fun to read about, and we're all ready for an adventure.

Of course, there are lots of Space Academy - Star Wars Academy - Star Fleet Academy - Hogwarts - books around. But, this one does an especially good job of getting the right feel for boarding school, as well as boot camp, space camp, and weird alien camp, and there's more than enough sciencey and tech stuff going on to make it all seem plausible, or at least interesting.

The illustration are helpful for young readers, but they make the book look younger than it is. There is much more subtle, understated and deadpan humor here than you might expect. The dialogue is fresh and often surprising. There are also lessons about friendship, courage, loyalty, and determination that elevate this way above the silly fart and dopey alien level.

Bottom line? Balancing action, adventure, humor, friendship, and school daze hijinks is brutally difficult. I was very pleasantly surprised by how well that was done in this book.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)