Singing the Dogstar Blues

by Alison Goodman

Overview

Seventeen-year-old Joss is a rebel-the daughter of a famous newscaster and a sperm donor; a wild girl who can play a mean harmonica; a student of time travel at the prestigious Centre for Neo-Historical Studies. This year, for the first time, the Centre has an alien student. Mavkel, from the planet Choria, has chosen Joss-of all people-as his study partner. Can this very different pair manage to live together, much less learn from each other? Singing the Dogstar Blues is a genre-breaking mix of humor, science fiction, and adventure that will keep readers riveted.

About the Author:
This is Alison Goodman's first novel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101601273
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/12/2012
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	461 KB
Age Range:	12 - 16 Years

About the Author

Alison Goodman was born in Australia and after a bit of wandering, now lives in her beloved hometown, Melbourne. She was the 1999 D.J. O’Hearn Memorial Fellow at Melbourne University, holds a master of arts, and teaches creative writing at the postgraduate level.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A gripping tale in a fully-realized world. A winner. (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

Editorial Reviews

"A brilliant, resourceful 17-year-old who chafes at authority narrates this tale of galactic conspiracy unfolding at an elite high school," said PW. "Readers will likely find that not only do they need to read this novel a second time in order to catch all the details, they will look forward to it." Ages 12-up. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 8 Up-A street-smart teen is partnered with a hypersensitive alien for an experimental university program in this story that incorporates elements of time travel, mystery, and teenage angst. Fueled by nonstop action, superb characterization, and crackling dialogue, this is a brilliantly imagined read. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

A thrilling debut explores a richly textured future society. Seventeen-year-old Joss is heading towards her expulsion number 13. When alien Mavkel becomes the first of his telepathic species to study at the Centre for Neo-Historical Studies, he chooses Joss as his study partner. Joss is relieved; Mavkel's diplomatic status should protect her from expulsion. But something is rotten on campus: an assassin is on the loose, with an unknown target. Joss's estranged journalist mother is-as always-unreachable. The Centre director is mysteriously determined to expel Joss. On top of everything else, Mavkel is telepathically crippled and occasionally suicidal as a result of an accident that claimed his alien twin. Will Joss choose to save Mavkel, or protect her own sense of self? Joss's society has many elements of cyberpunk-virtual reality, a complex underworld, biology melded with technology-but her story is more satisfying than a typical cyberpunk mystery. In Joss's powerful coming-of-age, she learns her place among family, friends, and her larger society. Though secondary to the plot, Joss's changing relationship with her mother is heartbreakingly real. A gripping tale in a fully-realized world. A winner. (Science fiction. 13+)

Kirkus Reviews

A gripping tale in a fully-realized world. A winner. (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

From the Publisher