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Out of This World

by Douglas E. Richards (Goodreads Author)

4.32 of 5 stars 4.32 · rating details · 19 ratings · 12 reviews

To save their parents they will have to travel to unknown worlds. Too bad the natives on each world all seem to want them dead . . .

Zachary and Jenna Lane are a brother and sister pair who would much rather tease and trick each other than work together. But when their parents vanish before their eyes through a mysterious shimmering portal, the two kids join forces and adv...more

ebook, 250 pages

Published May 24th 2012 by Paragon Press

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Dec 07, 2012 D.L. Morrese rated it 3 of 5 stars

Zachary & Jenna are having breakfast when suddenly there is a shimmering in the air and their parents disappear. What are two bright middle school kids to do but jump through after them? Well....
It’s certainly noble but they are just kids, so they don’t even pack a lunch, a change of clothes, a flashlight, or even a toothbrush (which made me wonder how bright they really were).
They find themselves transported to another world and almost run over by a pair of transparent (literally) people wh...more Zachary & Jenna are having breakfast when suddenly there is a shimmering in the air and their parents disappear. What are two bright middle school kids to do but jump through after them? Well....
It’s certainly noble but they are just kids, so they don’t even pack a lunch, a change of clothes, a flashlight, or even a toothbrush (which made me wonder how bright they really were).
They find themselves transported to another world and almost run over by a pair of transparent (literally) people who seemingly don’t welcome their presence and encourage them to leave through another shimmering portal. Thus, their adventure begins, jumping through portals in search of their parents, and finding themselves in different worlds populated with strange and often dangerous creatures.
Each encounter provides a simple, ethical lesson about cooperation, overcoming prejudice, positive thinking, intelligence, loyalty, caring, responsibility, or understanding. These aren’t quite ‘bang you over the head’ morality tales, but they are definitely geared toward younger readers. Still, they are endearing and entertaining to even older readers.
So far, so good. The characters are simple but believable, the settings are well constructed, the plot flows smoothly and logically... for about 80% of the way through.
If you don’t want a spoiler, stop reading this review now.
Still with me? You sure? I’m going to reveal the ending. I don’t often do this, but this one rather bugged me. If you don’t want to know, stop reading this.
Okay. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.
It’s all ‘magic.’ The beings that abducted their parents used ‘magic,’ and they don’t know how it (or much of anything else) works. That’s about all the explanation we get. It’s not quite as bad as saying it was all a dream, but it’s close. There is nothing about parallel worlds, multiple dimensions, or holes in space-time. All we get for an explanation for how all this happened is that it was ‘magic.’ Humans can do magic too, but the Earth has an anti-magic field around it that makes it almost impossible. Oh, and the San Andreas fault is not really a geological fault line between continental plates, it’s a magically sensitive area that will rupture if the aliens prevent portals from opening between their world and ours.
After the first 80% of the book in which our two heroes act with bravery, reason out problems, and demonstrate a considerable amount of highly ethical behavior, to have this all trumped by ‘magic’ was something of a letdown and, at least to me, seemed to nullify the moral lessons in the book. Yes, learning, reasoning, and ethical behavior are fine, but magic is easier and so much more convenient. If you have magic, you don’t need all that other stuff. That’s how the aliens live, in any case, and humans can be just like them.
I found the first part of this book engaging and well done for a middle grade book. The ending, I felt, was something of a cop out.
This is, of course, my personal opinion, and I do tend to be a bit tough when it comes to fantasy novels.
(less)

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Jun 13, 2012 Cordenne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Out of This World is an awesome book. Zachary and Jenna are both bright kids who after witnessing their parents fall into a giant hole in the middle of their kitchen, decide to go in after them. Trying to find their parents, Zachary and Jenna go through portals exploring many diverse worlds all varying significantly in some way. They learn to work together to help themselves in any danger that appears. Towards the end of their journey Zachary sees an important lesson and helps Jenna realize it f...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Ginifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't typically read middle grade books, but I am so glad I read this one. Just. Wow. Out of This World is incredible! It's chock-full of adventure, creatures, different worlds, portals, teleportation, action, and, best of all, two children learning life's lessons along the way.

The positive messages in this book are very well-written, without being after-school-special-ish. Not only do Zachary and Jenna learn not to judge based on appearances or assumptions, but they also learn to appreciate e...more I don't typically read middle grade books, but I am so glad I read this one. Just. Wow. Out of This World is incredible! It's chock-full of adventure, creatures, different worlds, portals, teleportation, action, and, best of all, two children learning life's lessons along the way.

The positive messages in this book are very well-written, without being after-school-special-ish. Not only do Zachary and Jenna learn not to judge based on appearances or assumptions, but they also learn to appreciate each other, their parents, the miracle of life and living things, and really just everything people typically take for granted. Zack and Jenna also realize their flaws and work to overcome them. I adore Zack and Jenna. It's so sweet that Zack helps his little sister overcome her self-doubt.

The descriptions and world-building are wonderful; I was able to "see" the creatures and surroundings as though I were there with them. The siblings visit several different worlds, but my absolute favorite was the pitch-black cave. The trees there are described as having "white branches with delicate, perfectly formed transparent leaves, outlined in silver along their edges." And the leaves glow from within and are shaped like butterfly wings. Sounds gorgeous, right? I think so. :)

And here is my daughter, Anna, giving an 11 yr old's opinion...
"This book was great because there were many life lessons to be learned. There were also many adventures and brave feats accomplished along the way. One of my favorite ones was when Jenna and Zachary answered the riddles to save their lives. My ABSOLUTE favorite world was Tular's world. My favorite characters were: Zachary, Jenna, Wyland, Tular, and Lisgar. Oh, and the cover is AWESHOME! This is a book for young readers [especially 11 year olds] ;). But my mom loved it, too, and it's definitely a book I will reread throughout my life."

She knows awesome is misspelled, but it's a kid thing. Anyway, she actually rated it 6 out of 5 stars and devoured it in less than 24 hours. She had my iPod in one hand while loading the dishwasher with the other!

We both love this book and highly recommend it!!!

*The author provided me with this ebook in exchange for a fair and honest review. My rating of this book was not influenced in any way by receiving the review copy. I did not receive, nor did the author offer, any incentive for a favorable review.

This review is a shorter version of the original on my blog. To see the full review, click HERE. (less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Out of This World follows the tradition of young adult classics such as "A Wrinkle in Time" and "The Chronicles of Narnia." While not as laden with symbolism or complex narrative structure as these well-loved gems, "Out of This World" evokes the same wonderment of worlds familiar and far, and of characters for whom it is who are easy to cheer and with whom it is easy to sympathize. The pacing of the story encourages the reader to continue on into the next chapter and leaves one waiting for the n...more Out of This World follows the tradition of young adult classics such as "A Wrinkle in Time" and "The Chronicles of Narnia." While not as laden with symbolism or complex narrative structure as these well-loved gems, "Out of This World" evokes the same wonderment of worlds familiar and far, and of characters for whom it is who are easy to cheer and with whom it is easy to sympathize. The pacing of the story encourages the reader to continue on into the next chapter and leaves one waiting for the next novel anxiously.[return][return]The action engages as its main characters, Zachary and Jenna, jump from world to world and from one civilization to the next with only a few pages in between. However, the true compulsion of the novel derives from its narrative themes. Zachary and Jenna begin the story in competition with each other and with the rest of the world. As the story progresses, they continually are forced to choose: will they be adversaries or teammates? This challenge heightens in each new world. Should they assume each new being they meet is friend or foe? And, how does one tell the difference? Is it possible to ignore one's instincts? The dilemma of how to recognize friends from enemies is one with which each of us struggles each day. During the age group at which this novel is targeted, this issue becomes urgent and identity-defining. As we use art to help us understand the questions we face, a novel which both reassures and coaxes an emerging adult into becoming a fair, kind, and just person is not only important, but pivotal.[return][return]The novel's other central theme revolves around the question of how one learns to trust and value one's self, despite or perhaps because of each person's different gifts and weaknesses. Far from celebrating uniformity, Out of This World embraces the disparate abilities between people and cultures, demonstrating how these differences create texture and strength, and even more importantly, how we can chose to allow these unique characteristics to destroy us - or to fortify us.[return][return]Finally, the novel is fun. It is pure pleasure to watch Zachary and Jenna mature, solve riddles and puzzles, overcome obstacles, and explore each other and themselves. In our culture where books are often assigned and dissected by schoolwork, rendering them tedious and uninspiring, a good read keeping kids on the edge of their seats and gasping in surprise is a lovely gateway into a lifetime of reading, just for the fun of it.(less)

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Jul 30, 2012 W rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, 2012-read

In this middle grade/YA sci-fi novel, Zach and Jenna are two ordinary siblings, until a portal opens in their kitchen, swallowing up their parents. When they decide to go in after them, they find themselves transported from one world to another, having to rely on their courage, intelligence, and one another in order to survive each dangerous new situation.

At first, I had a hard time getting into this book. It seemed fragmented, non-cohesive, and at times somewhat ridiculous. The siblings seemed...more In this middle grade/YA sci-fi novel, Zach and Jenna are two ordinary siblings, until a portal opens in their kitchen, swallowing up their parents. When they decide to go in after them, they find themselves transported from one world to another, having to rely on their courage, intelligence, and one another in order to survive each dangerous new situation.

At first, I had a hard time getting into this book. It seemed fragmented, non-cohesive, and at times somewhat ridiculous. The siblings seemed to flit around from one world to the next, following a predictable pattern of new world... mortal peril... problem-solving... success. At some point, though, it started to remind me of the classic literary adventure of Milo in The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster, and from that point on, I really started to enjoy their adventure more -- perhaps I just needed to take it a little less seriously?

As soon as I started seeing it more as a series of small adventures, it became more enjoyable. In fact, I discovered that most of the things I thought were ridiculous or unrealistically improbable or downright inconsistent were in fact, that way on purpose. I don't want to give too much away, but I thought myself rather clever when the siblings finally figured out what was really going on.

(view spoiler)

There is still some repetitiveness to it, and some things that still don't entirely make sense (such as the two kids jumping in the portal in the first place), but overall, it was an interesting journey, full of riddles, mind-bogglers, and logic puzzles -- a great challenge for those who'd like to sharpen their minds!

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book!(less)

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Sep 06, 2012 Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Right away you can tell there is some between tension siblings Zachary and Jenna. Zachary comes off as a know it all, trickster. And Jenna comes of as younger, naive and ready to finally outsmart him.

When their parents disappear into a portal that appears in their house. Zachary and Jenna end up going on a mission out of this world and having to rely on each other to rescue their parents.

There were just a few moments in the story that I felt things were moving way to fast. The reader doesn't hav...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Emil Girardin rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a fun book! Suspense, thrills, and 10 riddles (as well as countless other clever solutions to "out of this world" problems) are in store for you when you pick up and read this gem by Douglas E. Richards. My 11-year old son and I both thought this book was great fun for both adults and kids. Similar to The Prometheus Project, Book 1: Trapped and the rest of the Prometheus Project series, the two main characters face alien technology and problems in this off-world adventure.

1 like · like · see review

Aug 26, 2012 Anya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

From my blog: http://www.onstarshipsanddragonwings....

Out of This World is a middle-grade adventure story about a brother and sister who must travel to other worlds to save their parents. In order to succeed they must be clever, kind and brave, and perhaps figure out why all of this is happening in the first place!
I received Out of This World for review and didn’t actually realize it was a middle-grade novel before starting it. It became fairly obvious as I read through, but it’s definitely one...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Angeline rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a perfect read for someone who appreciates witty humor and wants a quick, fun read. This book is suited for 9 year olds and adults (so not totally restricted to young adults).

The Good:

-I liked the sibling rivalry between Zachary and Jenna. At their age, there is no way you have siblings that don't fight or at least tease each other. I fight with my sis and bros everyday (in good fun of course). The teasing and rivalry made this book more realistic, more grounded.

-They have a brain! I am...more

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May 29, 2012 Douglas Richards rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Hi, this really isn't a review, it's just me alerting anyone who is following me that I have a new book out (there is probably a better way to do this, but I'm pretty clueless when it comes to this stuff).

Anyway, the book is called Out of This World, and I'd like to think both kids and adults will really get a kick out of it.

Doug

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Aug 03, 2012 Rachelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, ya, sci-fi, fantasy, librarything-member-giveaway, owned-books

This book was amazing! I'm not usually a fan of science fiction, but I won a copy of this book as an author giveaway over at LibraryThing and thought I'd give it a go.
First, the author has an incredible imagination and gift of being able to show the reader exactly what he's seeing. Every chapter had a twist or turn, and I could picture in my mind everything from the landscape to the new life forms as the plot progressed. Second, the ending was totally unpredictable, at least for someone who isn'...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Tona rated it 5 of 5 stars

I won this book through a Librarything giveaway.

I loved this book. I read it in a day. I think my 9 yr old nephew is going to love it too. I can't wait for him to read it. It made me chuckle a few times and it brought back memories of my brother and I. Great book with great lessons.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 03, 2013 Sid marked it as to-read

Mar 30, 2013 Thomas Stone marked it as to-read

Apr 04, 2013 Robert Sander marked it as to-read

Mar 09, 2013 Staticnrg rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 09, 2013 David Blaylock rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mar 06, 2013 Keith M marked it as to-read

Shelves: science-fiction, ya-young-adult, parallel-alternate-universe, children-books

Mar 03, 2013 Pam marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: richards-douglas-e

Feb 27, 2013 J.C. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Feb 24, 2013 Debbie marked it as library · review of another edition

Feb 04, 2013 Deborah marked it as general-library

Shelves: 300, debs-kindle-lending-shelf

Dec 07, 2012 Doreen Dalesandro marked it as not-interested

Dec 06, 2012 Sam L marked it as to-read

Shelves: need-to-get-2

May 22, 2013 Lara marked it as subsubsub

Dec 01, 2012 Carrie Penney marked it as to-read

Nov 24, 2012 Thenordwand rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oct 12, 2012 Ann is currently reading it

Oct 24, 2012 Gloria Hill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sep 07, 2012 Brian Huse rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Douglas E. Richards

Douglas E. Richards was born on May 7th, 1962. He grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio with his parents and his sister, Pam. He went to Finneytown High School, and then graduated with a degree in microbiology from Ohio State University, a master's degree in molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin, and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.

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