The Mayflower Project (Remnants, No 1) (Paperback)

by Katherine A. Applegate (Author) "Jobs was fourteen years old, and if this were the year 2010 and not 2011, and if this were not the state of California but,..." (more)
Key Phrases: solar sails, payload bay, other suit, Tamara Hoyle, The Pipe, Billy Weir (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
K.A. Applegate, author of the wildly popular Animorphs books, begins a brand new series with a bang. In the gripping Mayflower Project, the first of the Remnants series, she establishes several diverse characters and the tensions and alliances between them and sets them on their way into the wild blue yonder. Hip lingo, faintly futuristic technologies, and kid-next-door characterizations draw readers in--the plot hooks 'em for good.

The cast of characters? A 14-year-old technogeek who calls himself Jobs after computer king Steve Jobs; the angry, aggressive son of America's African American woman president; a dreamy, psychic boy, adopted as a toddler from an orphanage in Chechnya; and a driven, strikingly beautiful, yet horribly disfigured girl who calls herself 2Face. The year is 2011 and these four, along with 76 others, are destined to meet on a hastily jerry-rigged shuttle whose sole aim is to leave Earth before the giant asteroid that is hurtling through space blows the planet to smithereens. Amid confusion, skepticism, and sheer panic as the world comes to terms with its impending, inevitable doom, the chosen few are whisked to Cape Canaveral to board a pitifully small, shabby steel tube NASA has optimistically named the Mayflower. They leave everything behind, including any hope of returning; vast, endless space is the only certainty in their future.

Applegate's hungry Animorphs fans, perhaps a little older now, will be thrilled with her latest series, knowing the 80 earth escapees have many, many riveting adventures ahead of them. After all, the sky's the limit. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter

Product Description
From K.A. Applegate, best-selling author of Animorphs and Everworld, comes a dark and powerful new series that begins with the end of Earth as we know it. The end of the world. Not something most people really think about. Not something we expect to ever really happen. But what if you found out that an asteroid the size of New Jersey was about to collide with the earth? What would you do? That¹s what Jobs is asking himself. The question he asked his family. And he certainly didn¹t expect the answer he got. He didn¹t expect that in a very short time he and his family would be a few of the lucky ones selected to board a revamped space shuttle. What happens when they get to where they¹re going‹if they make it there at all?

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590879979
• ISBN-13: 978-0590879972
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #676,653 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great beginning to the new series, June 21, 2001

By	"mfshermantank" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

My son recently wrote the following mini-review:

Remnants is the new series Animorphs' creator K.A. Applegate is working on. The year is 2011. A 76-mile-long asteroid is about to hit high-tech Earth. A "chip" of the asteroid strikes San Francisco, killing people by the thousands and shocking the many who were unaware that the world -- the population of people, plants, animals, insects, everything -- was doomed to devastation. Only eighty people can fit in the Mayflower, a ship built to escape Earth and put the passengers in hibernation. The Mayflower launches with zero days until impact of the asteroid, so beginning the long journey to find another place to colonize.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprises, Twists, & No Rules: Remnants, February 23, 2002

By	Alysha (West Virginia, USA [Not western virginia. WV is a state. And I'm also not a hilbilly :o)]) - See all my reviews

When I first heard that Everworld was ending, and Animorphs was ending, I was devastated. I found out that KA was starting another series. I got excited, until I found out the plot: An asteroid destroying earth. I can't say I wasn't dissapointed. I should've known better. I gave the book a try, and was amazed, excited, and sad by the end of the book. I was surprised. I've read other books in the series, and the series is more about what happens AFTER the asteroid destroys earth. This is a great follow-up series to Everworld & Animorphs. I can't say I won't miss them [Nothing made me happier, or gave me more excitement than reading a new Animorphs or Everworld book. Although I will say I liked Animorphs more] This first book in the series really makes you think about life. In less then 5 minutes, 6 billion lives are lost. This isn't a direct quote from the book, but it's the general idea said by one of the characters: 6 billion deaths doesn't really sink in until you realize that the dead are your friends, family, teachers, coaches, the lady at the Starbucks, the people you'd have given your last dollar to, people you only knew on TV, people you just see on the street. All of them. Gone. Makes you really appreciate life and realize how precious it is. A true eye-opener. I reccomend this book to almost anyone. Not anyone really young, of course, but you know what I mean. Even my mom enjoyed this book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remnants: The End of The World Book, September 24, 2001

By	Lisa Truong (Grand Junction, CO USA) - See all my reviews

The end of the world is coming, and 80 lucky citizens are chosen to survive. When NASA discovers an asteroid that's miles in diameter will collide with Earth, everyone is scheduled to die. There is only a limited amount of time before the planet it hit, and practically everybody is treasuring it. It's amazing what people take for granted until the world is coming to an end.
14-year-old Jobs is one of the 80 humans to live. He will be put on a special shuttle that will be launched into space before the asteroid strikes. Then, Jobs will be placed in a berth and hooked up to tubes. These create hibernation technology in his body. Hibernation technology puts someone into a deep sleep., sort of like what bears do in the winter. When the tubes are unattached, Jobs will be living and breathing naturally again. The space ship is called The Mayflower and the entire mission is known as The Mayflower Project. Every little piece and part of this journey will be unexpected and it's guaranteed to be full of surprises.
The night before take-off, Billy Weir, another rider, spoke to Jobs, and not in usual conversation form, either. Billy looked as if he was sleep walking or in a trance. Then, he said to Jobs, "You'll be there." Billy kept on repeating this phrase a few more times. He soon left Jobs to stare and wonder what he meant.
On the day of launching, chaos breaks out near The Mayflower. People trying to stop them from leaving were unsuccessful, making The Mayflower able to blast off. When the ship is just barely past the Earth's atmosphere, terrorists strike. Two teenage brothers on board aren't in their berths and attack the crew. They kill the pilot and injure the commander. The younger sibling accidentally shoots himself and dies also. Jobs is awake and catches all the action through the transparent cover on his berth. He hesitates, then stops the other terrorist. Jobs gets out of the berth and tackles him. The terrorist is placed in the dead pilot's original berth, and left to sleep. With that problem under control, there is still trouble on the shuttle.
Jobs is left with the duty of turning on sails that become the autopilot of The Mayflower. So he and Mo'Steele, his best friend on the space ship, go outside. Hanging in the galaxy, the duo quickly power the sails. They aren't fast enough. Before they're finished, the asteroid hits Earth. Both of the boys see this and are devastated. Every living soul is killed immediately and Earth is now officially extinct.
Unsure of what will happen, Jobs, Billy Weir, and 76 other passengers continue their journey, not having a clue about the future.
SETTING
The setting is in the United States during the year 2011. Some of the specific locations mentioned were California (home of Jobs), Texas (home of Billy Weir), Colorado (where Jobs and Mo'Steele vacation), and Florida (where the space ship launch pad is). Towards the end, everything moves into outer space, since The Mayflower is launched.
WHY I CHOOSE THIS BOOK
I had entered an essay writing contest over the summer and won as a runner-up. It was based on The Animorphs book series. My prizes included the first Remnants book, The Mayflower Project. It was there because now The Animorphs have ended, this is K.A. Applegate's new book series.
Main Characters
Jobs- He's a 14-year old who lives in California. His best friend is Mo'Steele and the girl he loves is Cordelia. Cordelia isn't able to travel on The Mayflower, though. Jobs is an average teenager, but one of the 80 chosen to ride on The Mayflower. He's also the hero of this story and saves the entire shuttle, but sadly, Jobs can't save his planet.

Billy Weir- His real name was Ruslan. Though, he was adopted by American parents in Austin, Texas. This occurred because his mother was murdered and his father became a guerrilla fighter. Billy Weir is very curious and often dazed about things. He would dream about strange, odd objects and places. Also, Billy was a boy who could remember everything. Being a newborn baby, being three months old...everything. Finally, Billy's dreams seemed to speak to him. Almost as if he had a sacred and secret connection. Overall, Billy Weir is the man of mystery and secrets in this story.
MOST INTERESTING PART
The most interesting part of Remnants: The Mayflower Project was how futuristic it was. There were hand-held computers called links, self-driven cars, and even 12-year-olds controlling super high-tech automobiles. What's even more amazing is that this is in 2011. That's only ten years away from now. It makes me wonder if all of this could be possible within a few years.
CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION
The main conflict was getting The Mayflower Project launched and to a successful start. That happened and eventually, Earth was hit and everything died. Now, the only living humans are on a space ship headed to an unknown place.
HOW FUN IT WAS TO READ
Yes, this book was extremely fun to read. First of all, the words describing the scenes are envious with detail. Most of all, it kept me thinking. It made me realize how precious life really is. The catastrophe that goes through your mind when you know you're going to die is incredible.
SIMILAR BOOKS
I've definitely read numerous books by K.A. Applegate. Some of her works I've read include The Animorphs series and the Everworld series. Though I haven't read any books with a plot like this.
RELATIONS TO A CHARACTER
I relate most to 2Face in this book. Her real name is Essence. We're both Asian-American, get straight A's in school, and have high-tech gadgets. Finally, I'm most like her because my room is clean, organized, and "girly", too.
RE-WRITING THE BOOK
If I could rewrite a section of Remnants, I would go into deeper details about D-Caf and Mark. They were the brothers who terrorized The Mayflower. I thought they were smart, nice, and polite geniuses from the way K.A. Applegate described them. If I were to correct it, I would add a few mysterious clues hinting that they weren't so innocent. Otherwise, I wouldn't change another word from Remnants: The Mayflower Project. It has a sophisticated plot, but was definitely interesting, exciting, adventurous, and mind boggling.