about the book
When Perses, a rogue planet, floats into our galaxy, scientist Hans Melming is the one who manages to wrangle it. Melming decides to use Perses by mining it for ore and metal, which Earth desperately needs. He also has the grand idea to colonize the planet with families who work for Melming’s Mining company. This project will be, as he calls it, the “Great Mission.”
Christopher Nichols and his best friend, Elena Rosales, find themselves living on Perses, and all is well until the day that contact is lost with Earth. Those who live in space planned ahead and have plenty of food stored up, but they are unprepared when Landers invade, attacking the colony and stealing their resources.
Christopher and Elena, as well as a handful of other kids, are all that’s left on the planet, and they know that communication between Perses and Earth will be impossible for the next month. Scarred and scared from the attacks, the children flee to the tunnels created by miners, and have to work as a team in an attempt to contact Earth using the cryptic clues left behind by Christopher’s father.
This is made difficult as they learn the dark secret of Perses, and when they realize that the “Great Mission” has dark secrets of its own. Will Christopher come up with a plan to save them and get the kids back to Earth? And more importantly, will they survive long enough to make that plan?
about the author
Kevin Sylvester is originally from Western New York, and because of this, he heartily cheers on teams like the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bills. Today, however, he works for CBC Radio in Toronto in Ontario, Canada, where he also works as an author and illustrator.
As a child, Kevin loved his school library. This was where he first came across the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald (author of The Great Gatsby, and the short story Bernice Bobs Her Hair), Beatrix Potter (author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin), and famous musician, George Gershwin. He especially loved spending time in his school library because it felt like a place that he could be in charge of his own learning, and he liked that!
Today, Kevin loves to draw, and he’s even shared how he creates his famous character, Neil Flambe (of the Neil Flambe capers), in this video. If you are interested in seeing more of his artwork, be sure to check out his cartoon portfolio.
When he isn’t working, Kevin likes to visit students at schools either in their libraries or classrooms. He even uses Skype to “tour” at schools throughout the country!
Sources:
Author website
Author blog : #SLM16
Also by Kevin Sylvester:
MiNRS 2. Margaret K. McElderry Books. October 2016.
Follow Your Money : Who Gets It, Who Spends It, Where Does It Go? Annick Press. 2013.
Showtime : Meet the People Behind the Scenes. Annick Press. 2013.
Neil Flambe and the Duel in the Desert (Neil Flambe Capers, Book 6). Simon & Schuster. 2016.
Neil Flambe and the Bard’s Banquet (Neil Flambe Capers, Book 5). Simon & Schuster. 2015.
Neil Flambe and the Tokyo Treasure (Neil Flambe Capers, Book 4). Simon & Schuster. 2012.
Neil Flambe and the Crusader’s Curse (Neil Flambe Capers, Book 3). Simon & Schuster. 2012.
Neil Flambe and the Aztec Abduction (Neil Flambe Capers, Book 2). Simon & Schuster. 2010.
Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders (Neil Flambe Capers, Book 1). Simon & Schuster. 2012.
Game Day : Meet the People Who Make It Happen. Annick Press. 2010.
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