Jenni Kershaw’s ordinary, eighth grade life becomes a thing of the past when her science class goes on a field trip. Armed with only their notebooks, MP3 players, and wits, Jenni and her classmates are magically transported to another world. Follow Jenni and her class on their extraordinary adventures in their fight to find their way home and discover who — and what — they really are.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
High school will be a breeze for Jenni Kershaw -- if she lives long enough to enroll, that is.
Jenni's ordinary, eighth grade life becomes a thing of the past when her science class goes on a field trip. Armed with only their notebooks, MP3 players, and wits, Jenni and her classmates are unknowingly transported to another world.
There they encounter amazing creatures, some of which think a kid shish kebab would be a tasty treat. But they soon find the greatest dangers they face may come from themselves ...
Follow Jenni and her class on their extraordinary adventures in their fight to discover who -- and what -- they really are.
Jenni's ordinary, eighth grade life becomes a thing of the past when her science class goes on a field trip. Armed with only their notebooks, MP3 players, and wits, Jenni and her classmates are unknowingly transported to another world.
There they encounter amazing creatures, some of which think a kid shish kebab would be a tasty treat. But they soon find the greatest dangers they face may come from themselves ...
Follow Jenni and her class on their extraordinary adventures in their fight to discover who -- and what -- they really are.
Praise for A Measure of Disorder, Book One of the Mother-Earth Series
"...I was hooked! I could hardly put this book down. ... It is WELL written, well thought out, and the whole concept is completely insane. Which makes for one great fantasy book."-- Austin, from ReadingTeen.net
"A Measure of Disorder by Alan Tucker is a wonderful foray into fantasy and imagination"-- Tracy, from Midwest Book Review
"...the plot really kept me hooked and I flew through the last hundred pages. I just had to know what was going to happen next."-- Aimee, from A Book Dork blog
"As I neared the end of the book, I found myself reading ravenously to find out what happened. I'd love to give more details, but this is really a book that you just need to read to appreciate."-- Jessica, from A Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile's Book Blog
About the Author
Alan Tucker, author of A Measure of Disorder and A Cure for Chaos, is a dad, a graphic designer, and a soccer coach. Mostly in that order. He's had a lifelong adoration of books, beginning with Encyclopedia Brown, progressing through Alan Dean Foster's Flinx, and continuing on with the likes of Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine and Naomi Novik, to name a few.
"I wanted to write a book that I'd enjoy reading. One that I hoped my kids would enjoy too!"
Visit the main website at mother-earthseries.com for more information about the books. View maps, watch trailers, see reviews and much more!
Product Details
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Jenni is on a science trip with her 8th-grade classmates, science teacher, an assistant teacher and two parent chaperones. They fall asleep and wake up in a new land. The book focuses on how the land changes them and how they become part of the power struggle that is going on in this new world between Mogritas and the people of the capital city.
This book was offered for free when I came across it. I didn't know what to expect but the blurb sounded interesting and I started reading it. Wow! It was so interesting. The story was really well thought out and hung together really well. The first part dragged a bit when they were confused and didn't know what was going on. However, once they met up with an inhabitant of the new world (Crank), the book really took off. I loved seeing this new world. At first, all of the kids kind of blended together and I couldn't distinguish one from another. However, as the story progressed, I started to separate them in my mind. Also, I really like how the book was told from different points of view. The first 1/4 of the book or so is all Jenni. Eventually, we also see points of view of Brandon and Alisha. Seeing the thoughts of these other characters really made the story richer.
The only thing about the story that was jarring was that these 8th graders seemed to adapt too quickly to this new world. No angst over missing their family and parents. No cries about how (if) they will get back home. That part seemed too big of a stretch for me (and why it is only 4.5 stars).
Overall, it is a great fantasy book. No bad language (but a lot of violence and gore). Definitely appropriate for a young adult audience.... and I'm in my 40s so it is also a good read for older adults! I look forward to the next two books in the series.
This book was offered for free when I came across it. I didn't know what to expect but the blurb sounded interesting and I started reading it. Wow! It was so interesting. The story was really well thought out and hung together really well. The first part dragged a bit when they were confused and didn't know what was going on. However, once they met up with an inhabitant of the new world (Crank), the book really took off. I loved seeing this new world. At first, all of the kids kind of blended together and I couldn't distinguish one from another. However, as the story progressed, I started to separate them in my mind. Also, I really like how the book was told from different points of view. The first 1/4 of the book or so is all Jenni. Eventually, we also see points of view of Brandon and Alisha. Seeing the thoughts of these other characters really made the story richer.
The only thing about the story that was jarring was that these 8th graders seemed to adapt too quickly to this new world. No angst over missing their family and parents. No cries about how (if) they will get back home. That part seemed too big of a stretch for me (and why it is only 4.5 stars).
Overall, it is a great fantasy book. No bad language (but a lot of violence and gore). Definitely appropriate for a young adult audience.... and I'm in my 40s so it is also a good read for older adults! I look forward to the next two books in the series.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By TeensReadToo
Format:Paperback
Eighth-grader Jenni Kershaw might not be part of the popular crowd, but she does well in school, has a few close friends, and lives a fairly normal life--that is, until everyone on her school science fieldtrip mysteriously falls asleep and wakes up in a different world.
The students decide to scout the land and look for some answers--or at least some edible food--and that's when Jenni encounters a "local," a dwarflike man who calls himself Crank and helps Jenni and the rest of her classmates understand the world to which they've been transported. In this world, called simply "Mother," Crank explains that there are different types of people born into specific roles. His people, for example, work with machines, another tends to animals, and others still are born fighters, explorers, or even spirits tied to particular elements.
Crank offers to lead the students back to his village, where they are directed to continue on a journey to the capital city in hopes that someone there can help them understand their situation. They set out, but Mother is not always a kind world, and they are beset by marauding bands who injure some of their number and impede their progress. And that's not all--the students soon discover that living in this world is working strange changes on all of them, transforming them into different species found on Mother, and sometimes not for the best.
Alan Tucker provides an engaging mix between the typical hero-focused quest story and a broader exploration of self-development. Although Jenni is the main character, and most of the story is told from her perspective, Tucker narrates portions of the novel from the perspectives of others, which helps to expose these characters' conflicted motivations. Once the initial group of students splits up, with some deciding to join with the powerful shapeshifter Mogritas who promises to help them develop their powers but possesses an ulterior motive for this generosity, the technique of jumping back and forth between perspectives increases suspense.
Although the book got off to something of a slow start, with the characters trying to figure out why they'd been transported and what they were going to do about it, once the transformation of the students into Mother creatures began the plot really took off. The transformations allow Tucker to showcase the personalities of these very different characters, and although it could be confusing to keep track of the entire cast of students at all times, by the end I had a fair sense of who everyone was.
The conclusion, while satisfying, leaves plenty of room for the next works in this series, and I'll be interested to see where Tucker takes this story next.
Reviewed by: Candace Cunard
The students decide to scout the land and look for some answers--or at least some edible food--and that's when Jenni encounters a "local," a dwarflike man who calls himself Crank and helps Jenni and the rest of her classmates understand the world to which they've been transported. In this world, called simply "Mother," Crank explains that there are different types of people born into specific roles. His people, for example, work with machines, another tends to animals, and others still are born fighters, explorers, or even spirits tied to particular elements.
Crank offers to lead the students back to his village, where they are directed to continue on a journey to the capital city in hopes that someone there can help them understand their situation. They set out, but Mother is not always a kind world, and they are beset by marauding bands who injure some of their number and impede their progress. And that's not all--the students soon discover that living in this world is working strange changes on all of them, transforming them into different species found on Mother, and sometimes not for the best.
Alan Tucker provides an engaging mix between the typical hero-focused quest story and a broader exploration of self-development. Although Jenni is the main character, and most of the story is told from her perspective, Tucker narrates portions of the novel from the perspectives of others, which helps to expose these characters' conflicted motivations. Once the initial group of students splits up, with some deciding to join with the powerful shapeshifter Mogritas who promises to help them develop their powers but possesses an ulterior motive for this generosity, the technique of jumping back and forth between perspectives increases suspense.
Although the book got off to something of a slow start, with the characters trying to figure out why they'd been transported and what they were going to do about it, once the transformation of the students into Mother creatures began the plot really took off. The transformations allow Tucker to showcase the personalities of these very different characters, and although it could be confusing to keep track of the entire cast of students at all times, by the end I had a fair sense of who everyone was.
The conclusion, while satisfying, leaves plenty of room for the next works in this series, and I'll be interested to see where Tucker takes this story next.
Reviewed by: Candace Cunard
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Reading Teen
Format:Paperback
First going into this book, I didn't have very high hopes. Occasionally I will judge a book by it's cover. This book's cover art is not the best I had ever seen. Then I started to read the book. The beginning was nothing very special, but slowly it started to progress until... I was hooked! I could hardly put this book down. Reading Teen followers, you will have your doubts before reading this book. DON'T. It is WELL written, well thought out, and the whole concept is completely insane. Which makes for one great fantasy book. In my opinion... the more insane the book, the better fantasy it makes! This amazing book by Alan Tucker makes you want for these insane things to happen, things that would never really be possible. Hence the word fantasy. You will so know what I'm talking about when you read it.
I never have even heard of this book if the author Alan Tucker hadn't sent me a copy. He was so freakin' cool to have taken the time to send me one. Thanks dude! At the current moment it needs more publicity. This book has earned it. I am positive that there are hundreds, thousands of books that need to be read because their great. But I can only read so many books. And, yes, most of the books that I read, I only read because I hear of that book from a friend or family member and now an author ( I'm moving up ). I wish that good books like this were more recognized. This review is the best thing that I can do to achieve some publicity for this book.
This is a great book and I can't wait until the sequel comes out. I will be highly anticipating it and can only hope that it is as good as the first.
Austin ([...])
I never have even heard of this book if the author Alan Tucker hadn't sent me a copy. He was so freakin' cool to have taken the time to send me one. Thanks dude! At the current moment it needs more publicity. This book has earned it. I am positive that there are hundreds, thousands of books that need to be read because their great. But I can only read so many books. And, yes, most of the books that I read, I only read because I hear of that book from a friend or family member and now an author ( I'm moving up ). I wish that good books like this were more recognized. This review is the best thing that I can do to achieve some publicity for this book.
This is a great book and I can't wait until the sequel comes out. I will be highly anticipating it and can only hope that it is as good as the first.
Austin ([...])
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Leaving me dying for more
Eighth-grade life becomes a thing of thepast when Jenni and her science class go on a field trip and are unknowingly transported to another world. Read more
Published 4 months ago by SKBrown
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read
Not as good as Magic Kingdom for lase, Sold by Terry Brooks but still good. I want to read the next ones in the series.
Published 4 months ago by Leah
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow
This book definately exceeded my expectations. I was expecting a very youngish YA type book, and initially the writing seemed as if it were written by an advanced middle schooler. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Domino
5.0 out of 5 stars
awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh my gods it was awsome!!!!! I couln't put it down. By the time i was done it was 1:00 in the morning:)! I reccomend this book for all ages
Published 5 months ago by Elisabeth Clark
4.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging
A truly engaging fantasy novel! I can't wait to read the sequel - I just hope it will be as creative and captivating as the first. Read more
Published 7 months ago by madamediotte
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Read
This book started out slow, but definitely hooked me once the kids met their first inhabitent of their new world. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Lisa Fred
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Shiny, Happy Stars!
The story starts out reminding me of Percy Jackson because of the field trip. At first I though this is going to be a copy cat but as they story moves along, was I ever wrong. Read more
Published 8 months ago by FireStarBooks
5.0 out of 5 stars
Completely in love with this book!
I was hooked on this book right from the beginning and could not put it down until I finished it. Bravo Mr. Tucker! It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a book this much! Read more
Published 11 months ago by Zack Mobley
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful fun and adventurous read!
This book got me hooked by the 2nd chapter! The characters are mature, the adventure, characters and action keeps you interested. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Patrong Peou
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spellbinding
A Measure of Disorder
A Measure of Disorder by Alan Tucker is a wonderful foray into fantasy and imagination. Read more
A Measure of Disorder by Alan Tucker is a wonderful foray into fantasy and imagination. Read more
Published on October 29, 2010 by Tracy Riva
More About the Author
Alan Tucker, author of The Mother-Earth Series (A Measure of Disorder, A Cure for Chaos, and Mother's Heart), as well as a new science fiction novel, Knot in Time, is a dad, a graphic designer, and a soccer coach. Mostly in that order. He's had a lifelong adoration of books, beginning with Encyclopedia Brown, progressing through Alan Dean Foster's Flinx, and continuing on with the likes of Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, and Naomi Novik, to name a few.
"I wanted to write books that I'd enjoy reading. Books that I hoped my kids would enjoy too!"
Visit the main website at www.AlanTucker.net for more information about his books. View maps, watch trailers, see reviews and much more!
"I wanted to write books that I'd enjoy reading. Books that I hoped my kids would enjoy too!"
Visit the main website at www.AlanTucker.net for more information about his books. View maps, watch trailers, see reviews and much more!
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