Middle school seems to make most students feel like wandering aliens on a strange and unforgiving planet full of odd customs and interactions. Novelist Michael Merschel uses that concept to full effect in his first book, Revenge of the Star Survivors. Our protagonist, Clark Sherman, moves into a new community when his father gets a new job and then immerses himself in Festus Middle School.
The narrative voice of Clark is that of an alien space explorer, as if he were not some middle school boy but rather an astronaut on a mission. Someone who has landed on some unknown world, gathering information about life forms and culture idiosyncrasies for his commanders (ie, his parents). His favorite television show — Star Survivors — gives his first-person narrative a frame.
This storytelling technique could easily get old, quick, but Merschel wisely moves us into emotional territory, creating a landscape of quirky characters set up against the concept of middle school bullying and confusion. As Clark navigates the unfolding middle school drama, he is both a target and ultimately, a protector. The story gets deeper and richer as it unfolds, and comes to a satisfying conclusion with heart and wisdom.
“I like to think that with real friends, hailing frequencies are always open.” — Clark
This novel would be a nice fit for middle school classrooms, but also for upper elementary readers looking ahead to what awaits them in that strange galaxy of the unknown.
Peace (here and beyond),
Kevin
PS — Michael Merschel sent me a copy of Revenge of the Star Survivors to review after I responded to something he wrote over at Nerdy Book Club. I made no promises about the kind of review I would write, nor did he ask.