Customer Reviews

The Prometheus Project: Trapped

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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

"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!

A very entertaining book. Thanks to the other reviewers because without their recommendations I wouldn't have gotten bought this book. You know what they say about Chinese food, how it is delicious and very filling but thirty minutes after you are done you are hungry again? Well, this book is the opposite. It is such an easy read and so fast paced that you go through it effortlessly and enjoy it a lot, but then hours, even days, later you find yourself still thinking about some of the ideas the book introduces and the complex but very satisfying plot (it ties up what you thought were loose ends beautifully). For example, the idea of nanorobots building a complex city from a single robot in the same way a human rises from a single fertilized egg is fascinating. I will definitely be looking for any future books that Richards writes to buy for my family.

This is the 2nd book I have read from this author. The first book I read was WIRED which was amazing...So I decided to buy all 3 books for this series. I thought the first 1/2 of the book was about a 4 out of 5. However the last 1/2 of the book was really creative and mind boggling, just like the other book I read. I really like the creativity of this author. Since the last 1/2 of the book is so good, I found this to be a 5 star book. I look forward to reading the last 2 books.

This book is an excellent quality thriller. It is the story of two young kids who seek adventure and mystery, so eventually they find themselves involved in an extraordinary situation. Their parents are at risk so the kids try to help them by entering a forbidden area and they discover an alien site. What will happen to them? Are they going to survive? Are their parents going to help them?

It is a story with a tight plot, a lot of action and a lot of science. The author involves nano-technology, the internet and a lot of maths throughout his story so the readers will be educated as well as highly entertained. It is a valuable book, quite original and easy to read. The gripping storyline will make young readers read this story in one sitting and want a sequel. The author has written another book, The Prometheus Project-Captured, as a sequel to the first one.

I strongly recommend this book to all young ones up to 13, and to older kids as well. It is a story full of clues that feed the mind and educate. It is full of action, fast paced and exciting to the very end, and it is like watching a movie. I will certainly recommend this book to my younger students who learn English-it can be used as a reader in ELT too.
Get the book from www.dnapress.com

Liana Metal, author of Storytime.

As a former elementary and middle school teacher, I heard about this book and thought I would check it out. It is very easy to read, and once you start you can't stop. Although totally different than Harry Potter, it is similar in that adults will enjoy it as much as kids. The plot is very clever and there are a lot of fun twists and turns along the way. I also agree with the review by the Grandmother who wrote about the high quality of the book itself. It is a beautifully done edition that really stands out. Parents who get this book for their children will not be disappointed.

I think that this was one of the best books I've ever read. It's so descriptive. The author uses colorful words and his imagination expands farther than this planet! I think the story was exciting because the two main characters were always doing something suspensful. I gave it to one of my friends to read and he loved it. He said it was one of the best books he's ever read too. I recommend this book to kids all around the world. If you're looking for a great suspensful book, this is the one to read!!!!!

After reading the back cover, I knew this book would be fun to read. Not only was it fun to read, but it had a lot of logical reasoning to it. This book is also very exciting. Great for grades 4-6.

I'm a Pediatrician in Texas, and I heard great things about this book from some of my patients, so I decided to read it myself. I was intruiged by the action, humor, puzzles, and twists. I enjoyed it, even as an adult, and I can see why kids love it. Highly recommended!!