Children of Stardust

by Edudzi Adodo (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Zero Adedji dreams of joining one of the Saba guilds--groups of intergalactic travelers who explore space, retrieve lost treasures, and hunt down criminals. Instead, he must scrape by as a guide to travelers stranded on his home planet of Anansi 12. Then he meets Wanderblatch, a strange creature with an even stranger object: a golden pyramid that houses a legendary Kobasticker called the Jupiter.

When the Jupiter chooses Zero as its next host, he is recruited by a top Saba guild so he can harness his newfound powers.But the stakes are rising, and Zero and his friends Camih and Ladi are tasked with recovering an artifact known as the Mask of the Shaman King, which can grant wishes at a terrible price. And they're not the only ones on the hunt--Space Mafia head Rozan Leombre is desperate to use the Mask to break his family's curse. The trio must use their wits, courage, and friendship to achieve their quest and protect the galaxy.

Action-packed, wildly imaginative, and laugh-out-loud funny, Children of Stardust is a fast-paced space adventure that launches a brand-new and unique voice in children's literature.

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Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review
Togolese debut author Adodo's debut bursts forth with wonderful world-building drawing from African mythology and culture.

Booklist

Starred Review
Adodo’s text is accompanied by lively illustrations of characters and space tech as this spectacular sf adventure brings a fresh take to the genre with elements of African mythology, high stakes, and an otherworldly sense of adventure.

Publishers Weekly

Zero Adedji lives solo on his home planet of Anasi 12, working as a guide for lost travelers. Secretly, though, he wants nothing more than to join one of the Saba guilds, licensed teams of intergalactic adventurers equipped with adhesive Kobastickers, which offer the wearer magical abilities. When he inadvertently becomes host to the Jupiter Kobasticker, a desperately sought-after object that offers the power to conduct electricity, Zero is recruited to the exclusive Shango Heart Guild to learn how to use it. Zero becomes fast friends with rising Saba stars Camih Sitso and Ladi Hyung, and the trio soon faces their first major challenge: recovering the Mask of the Shaman King, an ancient artifact whose reality-distorting power could unleash a fiend imprisoned in the Oblong Dimension. The friends embark on a thrilling adventure, facing a medley of enemies who seek the mask for their own nefarious ends. Through it all, Zero must both learn to wield the Jupiter's power and maintain secrecy around hosting it; the mystical object is rumored to grant immortality to its 26th host--and Zero is the 25th. Inspired by Adodo's love for African mythology and science fiction, this fast-paced debut is a fun-filled space opera with strong themes of friendship and courage. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9-12. (Oct.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781324053033
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Norton Young Readers
Publication date
October 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
YAF056000 - Young Adult Fiction | Science Fiction | General
Library of Congress categories
Adventure and adventurers
Science fiction
Ability
Outer space
Novels
Black people

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