Children's Literature - Julie Govan
Introduced by award-winning author David Brin, this "Tales from the Wonder Zone" science fiction collection emphasizes "twin themes of spaceflight and biology." The first four stories are short, uneven in quality, and generally simple. Eric Choi's "Just Like Being There" tells of a young man whose remote "Tele-Probe" exploration goes wrong, just as his father becomes seriously ill. The narrative lacks conflict, instead focusing on Keith's recognition of his father as a hero. Annette Griessman's "Space Divers" details the shared experience of the crew of a space ambulance, and the friendship they forge on one tricky mission. Mark Canter's cleverly told "Dragonfly" is the imaginative tale of a nearly fatal planetary exploration, performed by a tiny alien on our own planet. "Tether," by Jean-Louis Trudel, describes three astronauts' spacewalk and an attack by a dangerous life form. The fifth story is nearly a novella; "A Strand in the Web," by Anne Bishop, is an engaging futuristic tale in which humans practice Atonement for ecological crimes against the universe. Willow and her fellow Restorers live in an aging city-ship and learn to repopulate planets to permit environmental balance. Bishop thoughtfully explores the tragedy of extinction, the distinction between scientific work and Divine Creation, and the subtle deepening of a friendship into romance. Bishop has also created a believable and solid world around her characters-one of the most important jobs of a sci-fi writer. This story might prove useful for classroom discussions of environmental issues and human responsibility toward natural settings.