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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Starships and Aliens Review, October 1, 2011
This review is from: Hal Junior: The Secret Signal (Kindle Edition)
Concept/World
The story is set on a space station which felt realistic and industrial. Story
The story zips along with lots of laughs, mysteries and adventure. It's like Dennis the Menace in space, great fun! Characters
Hal Junior is great as the hero. I howled with laughter at his chemistry homework. Stinky Binn is good as the nerdy genius sidekick. The villains are suitably cartoony. I enjoyed the Teacher robot, too. Presentation
I liked the cartoon cover of this book and loved the illustrations. They worked well even on kindle and added a new dimension of humour to the story. It's just the right length for younger readers. Overall
I bought a kindle copy of this book because I'd enjoyed the "Hal Spacejock" story so much. I liked The Secret Signal so much that I've bought a paperpack version of it too for our class library. I had to buy it on the Amazon US site and pay shipping to the UK, but I know that the kids in my class will just love this. It doesn't come any more highly recommended than that!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dennis the Menace in Space, September 27, 2011
Hal Junior: The Secret Signal
Hal Junior lives aboard a futuristic space station. His mum is chief scientist, his dad cleans air filters and his best mate is Stephen 'Stinky' Binn.
As for Hal ... he's a bit of a trouble magnet. He means well, but his wild schemes and crazy plans never turn out as expected!
Hal Junior: The Secret Signal features mayhem and laughs, daring and intrigue ... plus a home-made space cannon! Written for independent readers aged 9+, The Secret Signal will appeal to kids with a sense of humour and a taste for adventure. my review by Lucas Lawrence HAL JUNIOR: THE SECRET SIGNAL should be renamed Dennis the Menace in Space. What a fun story. Loved the interaction between Hal and his friend Stinky. Hal is different than other kids, he's the class clown, and he's not afraid to be different. I like people like that.
Hal is funny and smart. Hates doing his homework but is smart just the same.
He lives on a cool space station.
The only part I didn't like was the explanation of how food is made. I understand why Stinky's face turned green. I really liked this book. I give it 5/5 stars.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kids, Space Heroes and Space Villains, September 25, 2011
This review is from: Hal Junior: The Secret Signal (Kindle Edition)
I discovered the Kemlo books by E.C. Elliott late in my childhood and read all I could get my hands on. Kemlo and his friends who inhabited the space station with him had learned to breathe in space, unlike their parents' generation of `terrestrial breathers'. Kemlo scooted about the perimeter of the space station in a little space-car enjoying largely innocent adventures. Simon Haynes' new SF book for children, The Secret Signal, refreshed my 50-plus years old memory. Haynes' character Hal Junior is the Kemlo for the early 21st Century. The technology is updated from Kemlo's world which knew nothing about the problems of zero-gravity for example - although Hal Junior definitely does not breathe in space and lands in danger when his space-suit runs short of oxygen. Hal Junior's regular world consists of school, his friend Stinky and his parents. His teacher is a robot, and Hal's behaviour is an irritant for him and other adults around the station. He dreams of captaining a spaceship like Haynes' adult character, Hal Spacejock. Hal Junior digs himself more and more deeply into trouble until he saves the space station from the evil crew of the space ship before it gets away with the station's stolen research data.
Haynes' trade-mark humour is not only verbal, but also in witty diagrams, and his clear plotting and story-telling provide lots of enjoyment. The Secret Signal would be great fun for confident readers 8 years and older.
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