Singing The Dogstar Blues [Turtleback]

Alison Goodman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2004

Joss is a sassy heroine with an absent mother, a mystery surrounding paternity and an attitude. But Joss is living in the future, and her best friend is an alien called Mavkel. As a pair they study time travel at the University of Australia, but there are a number of unexpected complications.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-This highly entertaining Australian novel is an unusual mixture of genres: time travel, comedic mystery thriller, and realistic portrayal of familial and alien relationships. Surprisingly, it works extremely well entirely due to the fact that the main character is so perfectly drawn. Joss Aaronson, 18, is an independent, spirited, and feisty young woman with a sarcastic mouth. She rarely sees her mother, a famous newscaster. Joss was conceived via a gene donor: "Straight from the petri dish to you." She's been expelled from several boarding schools and is close to expulsion from a prestigious university program in time-travel studies. For the first time, an alien from another planet has been admitted, and Joss is his study partner and roommate. A wicked harmonica player, she is intrigued that Mavkel's species communicates by harmonizing through song. His twin has died and he will, too, if he doesn't find someone with whom to join minds. He chooses Joss, although to help him, she needs to find out who her father was. Thus, the partners embark on a dangerous, illegal journey back in time. The plot and characterizations are well done; the book has lots of action, witty dialogue, and pop-culture references, and sensitively portrays complicated relationships between a mother and daughter, and members of different cultures. This book is more inventive than Mary Logue's Dancing with an Alien (HarperCollins, 2000) and, unlike M. T. Anderson's Feed (Candlewick, 2002), the tone of the made-up language is meant to be funny. While easy to decipher, the language is a bit crude. This intriguing and exciting read has lots of teen appeal.
Sharon Rawlins, Piscataway Public Library, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-12. Daughter of a sperm donor and a mother who is a famous newscaster, Joss is a wild, fun-loving girl who plays the harmonica. She's also a student of time travel at the Centre for Neo-Historical Studies. Her life turns upside down when Mavkel, the first Chorian to visit Earth, comes to study time travel and selects Joss to be his roommate and study partner. The partnership puts a crimp in Joss' usual freewheeling lifestyle, but she finds plenty of excitement and danger with Mavkel, including meeting an assassin and a confrontation with an anti-alien lobby group. In addition, she's fascinated with Mavkel's heritage, especially with the fact that the Chorians are a harmonizing species of twins who communicate through song. When Mavkel becomes ill and ends up on the brink of death, Joss has to break the center's strictest rule and go back in time to save her alien friend. This wildly entertaining novel successfully mixes adventure, humor, mystery, and sf into a fast-paced, thrilling story that will appeal to a wide audience. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (November 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606327371
• ISBN-13: 978-0606327374
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good science fiction, May 10, 2004

By 

YA Reading Fool "ya_librarian" (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singing the Dogstar Blues (Hardcover)

The acceptance of different sexualities in future societies has long been a staple of science fiction. To downgrade this book on the basis that it deals in part with homosexuality does it a disservice. If you don't like HOW it deals with the issue (meaning the writing is awkward, belabored, etc.,), that's one thing. To object because it DOES deal with it is a completely different situation. This book deals with the issue of who you are, both genetically and sociologically. Who you are depends so much on your experiences in life, the people who had an effect on you as you grew, your inborn personality, and the way you interact with the world and the way the world interacts with you. So yes, homosexuality is an issue in this book, but as part of a larger picture: if in the future, test-tube babies and genetic engineering become the norm, how will that affect our families? How will it affect our concepts of ourselves? But the issue of family is central: If a parent can't or doesn't provide the love and nuturing we need, it's vital to find a loving and supportive adult figure who can. If in this case, that happens to be Joss's mother's same-sex partner, so be it.

That issue aside, I found this a very good read. The characters were distinct and interesting. The situations were intriguing. It's not new for a science fiction novel to explore first contact with alien species, but Goodman's aliens have depth and texture, and the difference and similarities between the species are explored sensitively. I found the relationship between Joss and Mavkel a high point in the book. I loved Joss's rebellious, independent character, and I wanted to know more about her walk on the shady side. Between the characterizations and the well-developed sense of time and place, let alone suspense, the book definitely kept me reading.

(...) The book ends too quickly and conveniently. I saw most of the ending coming, and I found it a little obvious. I'll be recommending this book to readers, but it isn't quite at the top of my list.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Singing The Dogstar Blues, February 3, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Singing the Dogstar Blues (Hardcover)

Aliens. Aliens from a distant planet have landed on the Earth. The landing was expected and anticipated. Joss Aarrenson attends an academy so she can learn how to time jump (time travel) into the history or future. The aliens that land on the Earth are called Chorians. Joss is chosen to partner up with a visiting alien who wants to learn how to time jump. Mavkel was his name, Mav for short. Mav soon becomes closer to Joss, and after a little getting used to, Joss is treating Mav like a family member. Things soon get harder and harder for Joss and Mav, and Mav is falling further into depression and closer to death. Refmol, the chorian chanter, finds that Mav must be joined telepathically with another being if he is to stay alive. Joss is the only thing, and in this case hope, for Mav. She must find her father if she is to join with Mav, but she's been trying for as long as she can remember. Why Joss? Why Mav?
This story is told in a mysterious and futuristic way that is sure to make you want to keep reading until the end. It is hilarious in parts, and always leaves a question pounding in your head that you won't find out until you're finished with the book. A thrilling and entertaining story!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good, fun pacey read!, July 16, 2003

By 

Janey Henderson (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singing the Dogstar Blues (Hardcover)

I really, really liked this book and I wish there was a sequel too. Joss is normal but also clever so I could relate to her and I love Mav. I was hooked from the very beginning and also go my brother who is 19 to read it and he liked it too. I live in Melbourne, Australia, and it was great to read about Melbourne in the future - the author really put some thought into that, and also the humour. The ending was really exciting too.