It’s the first Wednesday of the month which means it’s time for Barrie Summy’s Book Review Blow-Out. It’s been a bit since I’ve attended. It’s been a bit since I’ve posted anything. But I hope to be back more regularly to everything.

And yes, I’m stalling because this will be an incomplete book review of what promises to be a fun, fast-paced start to an exciting, creative, illustration-packed series. I’ve known the author, Greg Fishbone, for a number of years as part of a critique group and as founder of the Class of 2k7 (where I was a member until I found my first book wouldn’t be published until ‘08). As I said in the lead-up to my interview with him on the Smack Dab blog (look for the interview tomorrow), Greg has to be one of the most creative, hardest-working people I’ve ever been privileged to meet. So it’s not surprising that he’s taken on the entire galaxy, and a very cool contest, with The Challengers – the first book in The Galaxy Games series.

I agreed to be part of his blog tour which also meant I scored an ARC of the book (yay!) just days before a quick trip to Arizona. I got on the plane, unloaded the book and my iPod and settled in to read. About 3/4 of the way there, I started talking to a newspaper reporter and our conversation lasted into the airport. You know what’s coming ... One baggage pick-up and rental car ride later, I realized The Challengers was again sailing through the air, this time eastbound to Orlando in the seat pocket of 15F. Even though it had barely been an hour since I deplaned, and even though I could tell them exactly where the book was, I was told that IF they found it, I wouldn’t get it back for 2-3 months. I groveled to the wonderful publicity person at Lee & Low who graciously sent me another, but that copy is still somewhere in the postal system and my ordered hardcover hasn’t come in yet either.

(Finally ... Here Comes the Review)
And that’s all a crime because I left our hero, Ty Sato, in a precarious position and I NEED to know what happens ... which is a really strong statement in a book review. And maybe that’s all you need to convince you to take a look. But while I’m here, I’ll set you up with a bit of plot.

Two things happen on Ty’s 11th birthday. 1). His mom forgets an 11 year old will be mortified when a clown shows up at his birthday party. 2). His Japanese cousins have named a star after him. The latter sounds cool enough, but it ends up being more disastrous than #1. The star, TY SATO, is suddenly hurtling toward earth with enough force that it could destroy our planet. And our hero’s name is plastered all over the world in the most negative manner. Lucky for everyone, the world will not come to an end, but Ty is enlisted by M’frozzo from Mrendaria for a galatic challenge that promises to be out of this world. Literally.

GIVEAWAY TIME!
I can’t wait to get my hands on the book again. And I’d hold a contest about which reaches me first – the ARC or my call from Pudd’nhead Books that the hardcover is in – but let’s make it simple. Comment here or at the Smack Dab blog or at my Facebook page or on Twitter (please include @jodyfeldman a