Lunar Blitz (Ultraball #1)

by Jeff Chen (Author)

Lunar Blitz (Ultraball #1)
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Series: Ultraball

Enter the exhilarating game of Ultraball--fly over pass rushers and explode into slingshot zones--through Jeff Chen's dazzling future world on the moon. Here Ultraball is life, and survival is all that matters. Perfect for sci-fi and sports fans alike.

Strike Sazaki loves defying gravity on the moon in his Ultrabot suit. He's the best quarterback in the league, but while Strike's led the Taiko Miners to the Ultrabowl three years in a row, each one has ended in defeat. This year, Strike thinks he's finally found the missing piece to his championship quest: a mysterious girl who could be his new star rocketback. But Boom comes from the Dark Siders, a mass of people who left the United Moon Colonies to live in exile. And not all his teammates are happy sharing a field with her.

When rumors surface of a traitor on the Miners, Strike isn't sure who he can trust. If Strike can't get his teammates to cooperate and play together, they'll lose more than just the Ultrabowl. The stake of the colony's future is on his shoulders.

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School Library Journal

Gr 3-7—In the year 2352, Earth has fallen from nuclear disaster and the United Moon Colonies are what's left of humanity. Ultraball, a sport similar to football involving child-players in high-tech space suits, is the main source of entertainment on the moon. Strike, the quarterback for the Taiko Miners, has a lot at stake. He must win the Ultrabowl for his colony or risk the colony's possible extinction. When a mysterious Dark Sider, a non-colonist who lives on the dark side of the moon, tries out for the team and offers to help them win the Ultrabowl, Strike must decide whether his new teammate can be trusted. Part science fiction, part sports story, Chen's novel portrays a dystopian world where not all colonies are equal and some are run in a police state. The backstory about what happened on Earth and the history of the political climate of the Moon are left unanswered. Fart jokes and cheesy banter makes this well suited for a middle school audience. The ending sets up the premise for the next book in the series. VERDICT Consider for sports fans who like their action with a sci-fi twist.—Ashley Leffel, Griffin Middle School, Frisco, TX

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Plenty of twists to keep readers guessing. Every Ultraball game is tightly written with great clarity. This series opener is still an intriguing hybrid of football and sci-fi with plenty of butt jokes."—Kirkus Reviews
Classification
-
ISBN-13
9780062802668
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date
January 15, 2019
Series
Ultraball
BISAC categories
JUV053000 - Juvenile Fiction | Science Fiction
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV032000 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | General
Library of Congress categories
Moon
Science fiction
Sports stories
Sports
Space colonies

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