Sleepers, Wake [Library Binding]

Paul Samuel Jacobs (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0785798994 | ISBN-13: 978-0785798996 | Publication Date: October 1999

Dody, a space pioneer of the future, wakes long before anyone else during his ship's journey and grows old while his family continues to sleep.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On an intergalactic journey of colonization, 10-year-old Dody comes out of artificial hibernation 50 years too early. He is a childlike old man when his family is awakened by the computer to prepare the rest of the crew for landing. Because of Dody's showing off, he and his brother and sister land alone on the target planet. There they meet what appear to be the children from a previous ship, but who are actually the mobile parts of a vegetative being that covers much of the planet. Dody and his siblings escape to the mother ship, which returns to earth. Conventional, even slightly dated SF technology is the backdrop for this story of growing up, and older children will identify with Dody and his struggles. But the family drama that starts to develop aboard the ship ends abruptly on the planet, as the plot segues into a children's version of a '50s-style SF adventure. However, the shift in tone and setting should not seriously dampen middle grade SF fans' enjoyment of the engaging hero's adventures. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-6-- Halfway through a century-long colony ship's flight to a distant star, nine-or-so-year-old Dody is awakened early from suspended animation by a computer glitch. Jacobs takes this intriguing idea and buries it in an aimless muddle of predictable plot, wooden characters, and poor science. After no less than 50 years of solitude, during which he has read every book on board, learned to pilot the ship and play the organ (but not reprogram the computer), Dody, physically an old man, mentally a child, charges off with his newly awakened "older" brother and sister to explore an unknown planet. The three find the aging remnants of an earlier expedition, plus a continent-sized--motile!--fungoid whose fruiting bodies look and sound like human children. After being sprayed with spores, the real humans make their escape, bringing along a "mushroom" named Jonathan. When the planet is inexplicably whisked away, the adults of Dody's expedition instantly set a course to Earth--and only Dody realizes that Jonathan will have to be disposed of before they arrive. None of the characters, human or alien, behave in believable ways, the details of computer and other technology seem primitive even by current standards, and there's little suspense or danger in the story. Readers are likely to find this pretty pallid next to Heinlein's Time for the Stars (Scribners, 1977) and like tales. --John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Bt Bound (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785798994
• ISBN-13: 978-0785798996
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,739,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 15 years later, August 29, 2008

By 

L. A. Carpenter (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sleepers, Wake (An Apple Paperback) (Paperback)

I borrowed this book from the library when I was in 5th grade, at least 15 years ago. It was such a compelling read that I remebered to look it up to buy for my nephew. If you enjoy science fiction, or just a good heartfelt story, you'll enjoy this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Super Book!, November 22, 2004

By 

GeeBee "caffeine-junkied insomniac" (Calhoun, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sleepers, Wake (Library Binding)

I used this book in my fifth grade classroom and the students enjoyed it. I think that for those who enjoy sci-fi, it's an excellent read and is a nice "mild" introduction to the genre for those who haven't explored fantasy before.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intro to science fiction, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sleepers, Wake (Library Binding)

I advise every book I read and love to my sister who, in turn, advises it to her friends. Every person that has read this book, including my sister, her friends, and their friends, have all loved it. It's a nice introduction to science fiction and, in our times, the science of the book is closer to reality than you might think. This book is filled with nice ideas that can trigger the "inventor" or the "dreamer" in a person. This book was the first science fiction I read, and it attracted me immediately to the world of science fiction which I love up till today.