Akiko: The Training Master [Hardcover]

Mark Crilley (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Akiko

When Akiko’s Smoovian friends, Poog, Mr. Beeba, Gax, and Spuckler Boach, swing by to pick her up in an astroshuttle, she’s feeling bored with her “normal” life and more than ready to go—anywhere. What she doesn’t know is that King Froptoppit has enrolled them all in the Intergalactic Space Patrollers Training Camp on Zarga Baffa. Every planet in the universe relies on patrollers for protection, but no one from Smoo has ever graduated. Akiko and her crew are the planet’s last hope.

After a freak accident at nearby Virpling Canyon, Akiko’s crew faces the ultimate final exam. Will Akiko go home, leaving the rescuing to others? Or will she stay and risk everything?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-Akiko, now in fifth grade, is more ready than ever to trade places with her robot look-alike and zoom into space. This time, the girl and her alien friends are headed for the Intergalactic Space Patrollers Training Camp on Zarga Baffa. Can Akiko withstand the gross food, the physical and mental tests, and her training master's rough treatment? She starts to fail miserably and wonders if she should "cry blue" and leave the program. However, as her pal Spuckler says, she's "a fighter, not a quitter." When an accident puts the training masters' lives in danger, she is the one student willing to break the rules to rescue them. There is humor as well as action in this lively confection; Akiko struggles to earn Ds (for distinguished) and Fs (for first-rate). She consults a Yoda-like mentor who gives her a mysterious container and urges her to "Draw upon the power within" to open it-then reveals that it is a jar of jelly with a stubborn lid. Akiko's confusion as she faces the often-wacky unknowns of intergalactic society will resonate with kids trying to figure out what's going on around them here on Earth. This lighthearted series began as an indie comic, and the book's roots show in the anime-influenced art, derring-do adventures, and Akiko's indomitable spirit.-Carolyn Lehman, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
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About the Author

Mark Crilley was raised in Detroit, MI. Crilley lives with his wife, Miki, and their son, Matthew, in Farmington Hills, MI, just a few miles from the streets where he grew up.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (February 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385730438
• ISBN-13: 978-0385730433
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,229,154 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back and better than ever!, March 25, 2005

By 

Madisen (Fruita, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Akiko: The Training Master (Hardcover)

This is another great book in the excellent "Akiko" series. The first thing you'll notice is that Akiko has a new, more mature look and personality. The changes are realistic, though, so it feels more like she's growing up along with you, instead of like she's become someone unfamiliar. In this chapter of the series, Akiko, along with her friends, is sent to a tough training school on the planet Zarga Baffa. There, she must survive challenges such as Humbling Week, Yoodoo Egg Rescue, and Nagnog Lizard Riding. The plot moves at a fast clip (I finished it in 2 1/2 hours), and the tone is consistently upbeat and humorous, making it a smooth, enjoyable read for kids, teens and adults alike. It's also important to note that this can be read even if you don't have any prior experience with the series, since it starts off as a new adventure and ends neatly and happily. I would reccomend reading the other books first, though, because you'll be more familiar with the characters. Overall, this is a wonderful book for all ages and reading levels.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Akiko, February 21, 2006

By 

J. LoBasso (Orange County) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Akiko: The Training Master (Paperback)

We consider this a true "find." My 6 year old daughter picked up the first book, the Planet Smoo, and fell in love with the ridiculous characters and nutty planets. Then all of a sudden, the 8 year old son was hanging around, enthralled by each adventure. We've enjoyed every book in the series and recommend it to kids between 4 and 12.

5.0 out of 5 stars Consistent pleasure, November 2, 2006

By 

N. Patton (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Akiko: The Training Master (Hardcover)

Another good addition to a fun series. Interesting characters, mixing adventure and humor, offer a pleasurable bedtime read for both parent and child. The whole series is full of wonderful fantasy fit for boys and girls 7-12.