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Guests | December 7, 2009

Theodore Gray: IMG The Cornucopia of Home Science

0 comments By Theodore Gray

Reading old books of science experiments for children, it's easy to become nostalgic for the days when you could buy jugs of sulfur and mercury at... Continue »
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    The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe

    Theodore Gray
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Heroes' Day (Trade Paperback)

Heroes' Day (Trade Paperback) Cover

ISBN13: 9780615220307
ISBN10: 0615220304
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Synopses & Reviews

Synopsis:

For gymnast Monica Sardinia, the chance to compete during Heroes' Day is a dream come true. Drafted as team captain of America's precocious new national squad, she heads to the Olympus Space Station to train under none other than legend (and former Hero), Darren Hades. But no opportunity comes without a price, and Monica soon finds that in order to compete as a senior she'll have to do more than just master her skills, for in the world of the Patriot elite scores are the lifeblood of the economy, and the slightest misstep can send ripples across the globe.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
msimps, November 5, 2008 (view all comments by msimps)
Gymnastics and sci-fi collide!

Jesse’s new novel comes just in time for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and tells the story of a young gymnast whose dreams of making the national team are dashed when her parents can no longer afford to keep her training at her gym. Bitter and disillusioned, she grudgingly accepts her new life as a common citizen only to have the chance of a lifetime fall right in her lap: an invitation to serve as team captain of the United States’ new girls’ gymnastics team.

Without giving anything away, let me just say that I found the book to be highly entertaining, not as a fast-paced sports novel, but as a more introspective character study which just happens to take place in the sports world. I would compare it to White Palms—an EXCELLENT gymnastics film—in that the focus is on the characters and not just the gymnastics. Even so, Jesse comes across as knowing his sport. There are also plenty of interesting societal ideas tossed around. For example, people competing in any capacity—whether it be sports or academics—are called “elites” and enjoy various benefits over “common” citizens, such as discounted food prices, free housing, and free public transportation. There’s also an underlying theme of the need for secrecy in a world where surveillance is the rule, and EVERYONE is chipped (or “tagged”).

I liked Monica’s character a lot, mostly because she felt real, she had genuine, raw emotions and she made mistakes. She learned her lessons the hard way. There’s a lot here that middle school readers could relate to. Outside a handful of swear words and an in insinuated rape scene, I don’t understand why this is being marketed as an adult novel. Jesse is obviously a competent writer, but I think this would fare very well as a young adult novel with a little more action in the first few chapters. That’s the reason I gave five stars: because I think there’s such a thing as being a little TOO character-oriented. This was still a fantastic look inside the mind of a child athlete, and was ultimately more satisfying than Stories From the Steel Garden. Recommended for fans of gymnastics and socio political fiction alike.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780615220307
Subtitle:
Trade Paperback
Publisher:
Vertigo Alley
Author:
Gordon, Jesse
Subject:
Science Fiction - General
Publication Date:
July 2008
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
312
Dimensions:
9.00x6.00x.70 in. 1.01 lbs.
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