Pro tip: If you board a colony ship and your dad is head of security, don’t let him switch hypersleep pods with you at the last minute. In First Contact, book 1 of the Terra Prime Adventures series, T. D. Patrick tells the story of twelve-year-old Zack. He’s one of 1,500 colonists snoozing for nine months while rocketing away from Earth to colonize a new world. But when Zack awakens, he finds he’s the only conscious person. Sally, the shipboard computer, wants Zack to confront an unknown intruder—and she refuses to wake up Dad instead because only Zack’s hypersleep pod is authorized to have a wakened passenger. Fortunately, Zack’s already had some training from Dad in confronting scary stuff. This well-written chapter book promotes courage and other virtues, making First Contact a great tale for boys.

Best for: Science-fiction fans, kids who enjoy short illustrated chapter books or family read-alouds.

Discern: Some potentially scary moments.