22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended!, December 23, 2007
After six weeks in Brewster, Pennsylvania, Ryan and Regan Resnick are looking for anything at all to help relieve their boredom. So, when they discover their scientist parents are working in a top-secret facility where something seems suspicious, they want to find out what's going on.
Getting in requires some logic and skill, but they soon find that getting out might pose a larger problem, as will saving their mother from certain death.
As they explore this fascinating location, they come across challenges that test their intellect and reasoning ability. Using the scientific method, they need to discover how to navigate this strange environment that occasionally turns hostile on them. And saving their mother will be the ultimate test.
This book held my interest from the moment I picked it up. Just like Ryan and Regan, I wanted to know what was happening in Prometheus Alpha, and I tried to solve the puzzle of how to get in right along with them.
The alien city was reminiscent of Harry Potter's Hogwarts, where anything could happen, and there were no limits to the places they could go or the things they could do. I would have loved for the kids to spend more time exploring, but under the circumstances, they had no time to waste.
The unique puzzle they needed to solve to save their mother made my head spin, but ultimately their logic was right on. It certainly will give kids something to think about.
This is a well-written and enjoyable science fiction adventure. I highly recommend it.
Reviewer: Alice Berger
Bergers Book Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really exciting and fun to read, March 6, 2005
My nephew and I both really enjoyed the book, but I've posted his review below.
Really exciting and fun to read. I couldn't stop reading it.
Kevin, Age 9
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A mixture of Scifi & education for middle-graders, November 10, 2007
"The Prometheus Project: Trapped" by Douglas Richards lives up to its press release which had these among others:
* The California Department of Education added it to its list of "Recommended Literature for Math & Science.".
* National Geographic Kids senior editor Catherine Hughes wrote "Captured is a page-turner that kids -and their parents-will love reading".
* The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, a home schooling publication, wrote "unlike any book that I have ever read."
The last one captured my interest. As a home school Dad who helps with math and science anything that helps me out works for me!
This is a science fiction book. Sci-fi is a genre I grew up reading. My favorite was Issac Asimov, whose books were always based on factual science, and this is what I expect of my Sci-fi, a little learning with the fun. Trapped did not disappoint me!
The main characters are an older brother and younger sister whose parents are brilliant scientists working on a top-secret project exploring an alien underground city. The kids use their smarts to break into the city and with the help of the telepathic computer teacher in the city, saves their mother from a deadly accident.
I read the book in 2 days, splitting the reading at Chapter 14. The first half seemed rather slow. The only science was a using talcum powder to `see' the laser sensor beams trick, and then there were 2 word puzzles used to figure out the secret passwords, which I liked. However, the second half really packed it in!
The scientific method, gravity and falling objects, nano-technology, and problems of observation and hypothesis are just of few of the lessons the kids learned. Add to that courage and determination to solve these problems and you've got what makes this book special.
An added bonus was the dialogue. The adults didn't talk down to the kids, but they did talk at their level. The kids were respectful while arguing and standing up for what they wanted.
I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading the next!
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