Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

Fiction General

Starclimber

by (author) Kenneth Oppel

Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Initial publish date
Aug 2008
Category
General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781554685202
    Publish Date
    Oct 2009
    List Price
    $16.99
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781443411318
    Publish Date
    Nov 2011
    List Price
    $11.99
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780002007450
    Publish Date
    Aug 2008
    List Price
    $21.99
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780060850579
    Publish Date
    Feb 2009
    List Price
    $17.99 USD
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780060850586
    Publish Date
    Feb 2009
    List Price
    $18.89 USD
  • CD-Audio

    ISBN
    9781501236396
    Publish Date
    May 2015
    List Price
    $25.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781554685219
    Publish Date
    Feb 2011
    List Price
    $10.99

Add it to your shelf

Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 10 to 14
  • Grade: 5 to 7

Description

It is the beginning of summer in Paris. Matt Cruse is looking forwardto spending time with Kate de Vries and piloting an aerocrane for theCelestial Tower--France's great project, which will allow the nation tobe first in outer space. But Matt and Kate's idyllic time isshortlived. Matt narrowly survives an attack by fanatics who areopposed to humans reaching the heavens, while Kate is summoned back toLionsgate City by her wealthy parents. It's time she began to thinkabout getting married.

But things look up when the Canadiangovernment makes an exciting offer to both Matt and Kate. Canada wantsto reach space first, and the Canadian Minister of Air wants Kate tojoin the first expedition as an expert in aerial zoology. There's aplace for Matt, too--if he can pass the gruelling tests to become oneof the world's first astralnauts onboard the incredible ship Starclimber.

The third book in Kenneth Oppel's bestselling Airbornseries vaults readers into another thrilling adventure, with all of theexciting twists and vivid imaginings that Oppel's fans have come toexpect--and a little romance, too. From Paris to Lionsgate City, fromthe Pacificus Ocean to the depths of space, Starclimber is anexhilarating ride from an author who soars to rare heights.

About the author

KENNETH OPPEL is the author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide and was adapted into an animated TV series and stage play. Airborn won a Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award and the Governor General’s Literary Award; its sequel, Skybreaker, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children’s Novel of the Year by The Times (London). He is also the author of Half Brother, This Dark Endeavor, Such Wicked Intent and The Boundless. Born on Vancouver Island, he has lived in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and in England and Ireland, and now resides in Toronto with his wife and children.

WEB: www.kennethoppel.ca

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/kennethoppel

JON KLASSEN is the author-illustrator of This Is Not My Hat, winner of the Caldecott Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal, and I Want My Hat Back, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book. He is also the illustrator of Cats' Night Out, which won the Governor General’s Award; The Dark, a finalist for the same award; House Held Up by Trees, a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book; Extra Yarn, a Caldecott Honor Book; and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, also a Caldecott Honor Book. He created the concept art for Coraline, the stop-motion animated film based on the book by Neil Gaiman. Originally from Niagara Falls, he now lives in Los Angeles.

WEB: www.burstofbeaden.com

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/burstofbeaden

Kenneth Oppel's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"Starclimber is a thrilling roller-coaster ride of a book, full of humor and derring-do and guaranteed to keep readers up long past midnight."
-- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (Starred Review)()

Librarian Reviews

Starclimber

As this sequel to Airborn and Skybreaker begins, it’s summertime and Matt Cruse is in high spirits as he commands a small aerocrane that is part of the crew that is constructing Paris’s renowned Celestial Tower. Not even a harrowing encounter with Babelite fanatics trying to thwart the Tower’s completion can dampen his enthusiasm for the months ahead, which will hopefully include as much time spent with Kate as their schedules will allow.

However, both Matt and Kate find themselves faced with a sudden shift in their plans when they are contacted about becoming part of Canada’s plans to launch a journey into space. Kate is recruited to serve as a zoologist, but Matt is just one of many men selected to try out for the few positions aboard this historic space vessel. While he undergoes arduous tests in the hopes of being chosen, he is also forced to deal with his sense of betrayal when he learns that Kate has allowed herself to become engaged to a wealthy young man according to her parents’ wishes. Does he dare to hope that he might truly realize his dream of traveling to outer space, and if so, can he bear to be so close to Kate with everything so very wrong between them?

Kenneth Oppel manages to once more take this story into new and wondrous directions, delving into the realm of space exploration. Even for readers who have never spent much time contemplating the mysteries of the universe, Oppel so fully realizes the aura of excitement and otherworldliness that Matt and Kate and their colleagues are immersed in that one can’t help but be caught up in the thrill of it all right along with them. The action is unrelenting from the very first chapter (in which Matt is nearly killed by the Babelites), and the plot is deftly woven, action-packed and filled with unexpected developments. Each character is skillfully drawn, adding their own nuance to this engrossing tale. Another breathtaking read from an author whose literary genius clearly stretches from here to the stars and beyond!

Source: The Canadian Children's Bookcentre. Fall 2008. Vol.31 No.4.

Starclimber

Kate de Vries is asked to join the first expedition to space. There’s a place onboard for Matt Cruse, too — if he can pass the gruelling tests. He is determined to be part of the adventure. But can he outlast his competition?

Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. 2009.

Other titles by