Title: Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1)
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
ISBN: 9781524720964
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Copyright Date: 2019
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller,
Format: Novel
Reading Level/Interest Level: Grades 9-12, Lexile - 800
Awards or Honors:
Aurealis Award Winner: Best Science Fiction Novel and Best Young Adult Novel (2019)
YALSA's Teens' Top Ten Winner (2020)
CBCA Notable Book (2020)
Plot Summary
Alpha Tyler Jones is primed to choose the top graduates from Aurora Academy to join his team and set out across space on daring missions to save the galaxy. Unfortunately, his own hero complex gets in the way when he rescues a girl who is asleep in a cryo-chamber hurtling through space - this causes him to miss the draft and his chance at the first pick. The squad he is stuck with is less than ideal, though his twin sister Scarlet and best friend since childhood, Cat, choose to stay by his side. The rest of the recruits on his team are the bottom of the barrel: Zila, the scientist who may or may not be a sociopath; Fin, the techie who covers his insecurities with never-ending sarcasm and jokes; and Kal, the alien who comes from a race of deadly warriors.
Aurora, the mysterious girl from Earth, wakes up to find that she has been asleep for 230 years and never made it to her settlement on the planet Octavia. When Auri accidentally stows away on Tyler’s ship, she realizes she has special powers that might be the key to saving the galaxy - and this squad is the unlikely group that’s going to help her do so.
Author Backgrounds
A resident of Melbourne, Australia, Amie currently lives with her husband, daughter, dog, and books. She is a woman of many talents, with multiple degrees and a PH.D. in the works. Amie has written seven YA book services, with many of them currently in development for film and TV. Aurora Rising is currently in the works to be adapted into a TV series with MGM (Kaufman, n.d.)
Author of five Science Fiction/Fantasy series, Jay Kristoff has won eight Aurelis Awards and one ABIA (Australian Book Industry Award to us non-Aussies). Needless to say, he is a prolific genre writer with more than one and a half million books in print across 35 different countries. He wants readers to know that he doesn’t believe in happy endings, so read with caution! (Kristoff, n.d.)
Critical Evaluation
I went into reading this book with no idea if I was going to like it or not. Sci-Fi isn’t my genre, in any sense of the word (I don’t even really like Star Wars), so I was definitely skeptical of everything about it. I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun this book was and the quality of the writing. The story is told from the perspective of all seven of the squad members, which is incredibly impressive, especially with two authors. I have no idea how they kept everything straight! For the most part, I would also say that each character had a dynamic voice that separated them from the group. There were only a few instances where I would forget who was speaking and had to flip back to the chapter title and figure it out. The dialogue was fun, the action was great, and the weaving of twists and turns of the storyline kept me interested the entire way.
For a Sci-Fi book, I was expecting there to be more genre elements, so while I actually wasn’t disappointed that we didn’t get too bogged down with the technology and space “stuff,” I think avid readers of the genre might view this book as more Fantasy than Sci-Fi. I also did want more descriptions of scenery to get a better sense of how the future imagined in this novel is unique. Despite the few critiques I had, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the sequels.
Creative Use for a Library Program
Host a space squad training program by bringing a bounce house to the library grounds (or a nearby park) to practice your zero-gravity skills. Provide rocket pops and space pops as a cool treat for teens’ hard work, reminiscent of Auri’s cryo-chamber.
Speed-Round Book Talk
With the excitement of a high-speed spaceship chase, the intrigue of a heist, and a hilarious ensemble cast, join Squad 312 as they race against time to save the galaxy. This book is perfect for fans of Six of Crows, but in space!
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation
This book contains quite a bit of violence throughout, though it is not very graphic so I don’t think it will be very problematic for most readers. There is also some sexual innuendo, but it is only in passing and isn’t overly suggestive. I was not able to locate any challenges to this item, so I doubt the two issues I mentioned above would pose a problem, but if they did I would argue that the age level is for grades 9-12 and should be appropriate for teens.
Reason for Inclusion
Aurora Rising is a great choice for teens because it will appeal to both Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans as well as fans of well-written fiction. A diverse, ensemble cast gives teens many characters to identify and root for, with an exciting plot to stay engaged with.
References
Chase, A. (n.d.). Aurora rising mood board [Image]. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/350928995975544038/
Ergot, E. (n.d.). Aurora squad [Image]. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/350928995975544040/
Gilbert, B. [@bethgilbert_art]. (2021, December 10). Aurora Rising: Kai, Tyler and Auri portraits for @flickerwix {Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXT6_tQLjNp/
Kaufman, A. (n.d.). Bio. Retrieved from https://amiekaufman.com/bio/
Kaufman, A., & Kristoff, J. (2019). Aurora rising [Cover Image]. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Aurora-Rising-Cycle-Amie-Kaufman/dp/1524720968/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647804095&sr=8-1
Kristoff, J. (n.d.). Bio. Retrieved from https://jaykristoff.com/
PartTimeBookNerd. (n.d.). Aurora Rising - girl out of time art print [Image]. Society 6. https://society6.com/product/aurora-rising-girl-out-of-time_print?c_kid=s6-11273587p4a1v45&sku=s6-11273587p4a1v45&utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2331&epik=dj0yJnU9eEhDcG44dXFSZHBaSjRzTzJ1cGh1YkNiQW4wV1JycVImcD0wJm49QkpZenhOWlptYWY4dFlUcmxuUDNKZyZ0PUFBQUFBR0pIUy1N
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