Ultraball #1: Lunar Blitz

by Jeff Chen

Overview

Enter the exhilarating game of Ultraball—fly over pass rushers and explode into slingshot zones—through Jeff Chen’s dazzling future world on the moon. Here Ultraball is life, and survival is all that matters. Perfect for sci-fi and sports fans alike.

Strike Sazaki loves defying gravity on the moon in his Ultrabot suit. He’s the best quarterback in the league, but while Strike’s led the Taiko Miners to the Ultrabowl three years in a row, each one has ended in defeat.

This year, Strike thinks he’s finally found the missing piece to his championship quest: a mysterious girl who could be his new star rocketback. But Boom comes from the Dark Siders, a mass of people who left the United Moon Colonies to live in exile. And not all his teammates are happy sharing a field with her.

When rumors surface of a traitor on the Miners, Strike isn’t sure who he can trust. If Strike can’t get his teammates to cooperate and play together, they’ll lose more than just the Ultrabowl. The stake of the colony’s future is on his shoulders.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062802668
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/15/2019
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jeff Chen is a writer from Seattle, Washington. He also makes crossword puzzles for the New York Times and other major publications. In previous careers, he was a mechanical engineer listed on eight US patents, and then co-founded a pharmaceutical company, Acucela Inc. Ultraball is his debut novel. You can visit Jeff at www.jeffchenwrites.com.

Editorial Reviews

Plenty of twists to keep readers guessing. Every Ultraball game is tightly written with great clarity. This series opener is still an intriguing hybrid of football and sci-fi with plenty of butt jokes.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Chen’s debut delivers a smart and subtle exploration of socioeconomic inequality. Sf and sports readers alike will enjoy the futuristic dystopia Chen has created. Fans of Mike Lupica, Dan Gutman, and Tim Green looking to get their feet wet in sf should be directed to this series opener.”
— Booklist

“Fart jokes and cheesy banter makes this well suited for a middle school audience.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Chen’s debut delivers a smart and subtle exploration of socioeconomic inequality. Sf and sports readers alike will enjoy the futuristic dystopia Chen has created. Fans of Mike Lupica, Dan Gutman, and Tim Green looking to get their feet wet in sf should be directed to this series opener.”

Booklist

Chen’s debut delivers a smart and subtle exploration of socioeconomic inequality. Sf and sports readers alike will enjoy the futuristic dystopia Chen has created. Fans of Mike Lupica, Dan Gutman, and Tim Green looking to get their feet wet in sf should be directed to this series opener.”

Booklist

12/01/2018
Gr 3–7—In the year 2352, Earth has fallen from nuclear disaster and the United Moon Colonies are what's left of humanity. Ultraball, a sport similar to football involving child-players in high-tech space suits, is the main source of entertainment on the moon. Strike, the quarterback for the Taiko Miners, has a lot at stake. He must win the Ultrabowl for his colony or risk the colony's possible extinction. When a mysterious Dark Sider, a non-colonist who lives on the dark side of the moon, tries out for the team and offers to help them win the Ultrabowl, Strike must decide whether his new teammate can be trusted. Part science fiction, part sports story, Chen's novel portrays a dystopian world where not all colonies are equal and some are run in a police state. The backstory about what happened on Earth and the history of the political climate of the Moon are left unanswered. Fart jokes and cheesy banter makes this well suited for a middle school audience. The ending sets up the premise for the next book in the series. VERDICT Consider for sports fans who like their action with a sci-fi twist.—Ashley Leffel, Griffin Middle School, Frisco, TX

School Library Journal

2018-09-17

Adventure and sports abound in this post-apocalyptic sci-fi debut.

It has been 10 years since Earthfall, and the human race, now all dark skinned with black hair, lives in moon colonies, some named from an assortment of East Asian or Middle Eastern derivations. Shinzo "Strike" Sazaki is captain of Taiko Colony's Ultraball team. It's a sport similar to football but played in mechanical Ultrabot suits that enhance players' physical capabilities. Teams compete for colony pride, and the champions are set for life with fame and fortune. Strike is obsessed with winning this year, his past seasons having been marred by traitors paid off by Zuna, the corrupt governor of North Pole Colony, the richest one on the moon. When a talented player named Boom shows up from the mysterious Dark Side of the moon, Strike reluctantly recruits her despite doubts of her loyalty. Soon secrets begin to unravel, and the team finds itself playing for the survival of their entire colony. While there are plenty of twists to keep readers guessing, inconsistencies in the worldbuilding may have readers puzzling over the lunar political landscape, and occasional odd word choices jar the flow of text. Despite this, every Ultraball game is tightly written with great clarity.

Though a bit loosey-goosey off the field, this series opener is still an intriguing hybrid of football and sci-fi with plenty of butt jokes. (Science fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews