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TURBO Racers: Escape Velocity
The Fast and the Furious
meets Transformers in the second book of this high-stakes series about twelve-year-old Mace Blazer, who pilots state-of-the-art vehicles that transform seamlessly to race on the road, in the air, and even underwater.
Mace Blazer is the world’s hottest TURBOnaut. Compared to the other ‘nauts, he drives faster, dares harder, and pulls the craziest stunts. Since he won the Gauntlet Prix and revealed that he’s only twelve, the world has been screaming Mace’s name.
Now nothing—not even his friends and family—can hold Mace back from becoming the greatest racer of all time.
But when Mace suffers a nearly fatal accident while behind the wheel, he loses the nerve that made him the best. He’s done with driving fast. He’s done with TURBO. Until he finds out that his two best friends have mysteriously disappeared as part of a sinister plot that could destroy not just TURBO, but the world. Mace has no choice but to buckle back in, swallow his fears, and race to save the day.
In the thrilling sequel to TURBO Racers: Trailblazer, Mace will have to decide if he’s willing to risk everything to save the sport, and the people, that he loves. Every morph matters in this heart-pounding, exhilarating adventure series by acclaimed author Austin Aslan.
Mace Blazer is the world’s hottest TURBOnaut. Compared to the other ‘nauts, he drives faster, dares harder, and pulls the craziest stunts. Since he won the Gauntlet Prix and revealed that he’s only twelve, the world has been screaming Mace’s name.
Now nothing—not even his friends and family—can hold Mace back from becoming the greatest racer of all time.
But when Mace suffers a nearly fatal accident while behind the wheel, he loses the nerve that made him the best. He’s done with driving fast. He’s done with TURBO. Until he finds out that his two best friends have mysteriously disappeared as part of a sinister plot that could destroy not just TURBO, but the world. Mace has no choice but to buckle back in, swallow his fears, and race to save the day.
In the thrilling sequel to TURBO Racers: Trailblazer, Mace will have to decide if he’s willing to risk everything to save the sport, and the people, that he loves. Every morph matters in this heart-pounding, exhilarating adventure series by acclaimed author Austin Aslan.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published February 25, 2020
5 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Austin Aslan
9 books126 followersAustin Aslan's debut novel, The Islands at the End of the World, was named a Best Book of 2014 by Kirkus Reviews. It was ranked by The Guardian as a top-ten climate fiction read, and is listed by BookRiot as a top 100 must-read book in the category of young adult science fiction. His latest novel from HarperCollins, TURBO Racers: Trailblazer, will hit bookstores on January 1, 2019.
Austin earned a master’s degree in tropical conservation biology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. His research on rare Hawaiian plants located on the high slopes of Mauna Loa won him a pair of destroyed hiking boots, a tattered rain jacket, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. He has lived in deserts, jungles, and cloud forests. He has traveled to all seven continents, and is fluent in Penguin and several dialects of Cave Bat. When he’s not busy child-raising, you can often find him stargazing. Austin lives with his family in the snowy mountains of northern Arizona, a stone’s throw away from the edge of the Grand Canyon.
Austin earned a master’s degree in tropical conservation biology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. His research on rare Hawaiian plants located on the high slopes of Mauna Loa won him a pair of destroyed hiking boots, a tattered rain jacket, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. He has lived in deserts, jungles, and cloud forests. He has traveled to all seven continents, and is fluent in Penguin and several dialects of Cave Bat. When he’s not busy child-raising, you can often find him stargazing. Austin lives with his family in the snowy mountains of northern Arizona, a stone’s throw away from the edge of the Grand Canyon.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 26, 2020
Wow. It's unusual that I find a book that my 10-year-old and I can fully enjoy together - each of us surprised by different elements and enjoying different aspects. This book brought intense, fast-paced, edge-of-your seat action and surprising twists and turns - I couldn't put it down! At the same time, this book introduced me to more complexities in the main characters as they are getting older and as the intrigue around them is growing. This book introduced new elements of conflict and learning that helped to grow the world of TURBO Readers. The setting highlighted different parts of the world from Egypt to South America, and the skillful writing painted them in brilliant colors for the reader! Truly, this reading experience all around was so much fun.
June 7, 2021
This is one of those books that I brought home from the library and it didn't even hit the kitchen table, it was snatched up right away by my son, who loved the first one!
Mace Blazer has taken off his helmet, exposing to the world he's an underage 12-year-old TURBO racer -- driver of vehicles that have wheels, wings and can go underwater. His driving is strictly illegal, but the race organizers decided to allow him, given his huge world-wide following. And he gets a big, ugly head about it. His arrogance is hard to read, in the beginning.
Meanwhile, fellow underage racer and good friend Aya is still afraid to take off her helmet, because she's yet to win a big race like the Gauntlet Prix in her helicopter-type TURBO racer.
Enter a new racer on the qualifying circuit, Leading Man, aka 'Rad Thad,' or actor Thaddeus Hightower, in an amazing TURBO racer that seemingly can't be beat.
Except by Aya, but only just.
No one can explain how he's doing it. Leading Man has no prior racing experience and apparently doesn't know racers, not the way Mace, Aya and Dex do. Something doesn't add up.
And then Mace almost kills a mother and child in a high-speed race on city streets. (My son LOVED the Mazagatti!) He's ready to hang it up, call it quits from racing forever.
Until his friend Dex disappears. Mace discovers the secret to Hightower's "prowess" behind the wheel -- he's not piloting at all. He's warming a chair, and that's it. An artificial intelligence, strictly banned by the TURBO committee, is piloting the craft.
A military power is developing and testing the AI on TURBO race courses before launching it at the world.
It's up to Mace and his crew to stop it -- by out thinking and out driving it and the general who's wielding it.
We LOVED this sequel! We're hoping there will be a third in the series.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Mace Blazer has taken off his helmet, exposing to the world he's an underage 12-year-old TURBO racer -- driver of vehicles that have wheels, wings and can go underwater. His driving is strictly illegal, but the race organizers decided to allow him, given his huge world-wide following. And he gets a big, ugly head about it. His arrogance is hard to read, in the beginning.
Meanwhile, fellow underage racer and good friend Aya is still afraid to take off her helmet, because she's yet to win a big race like the Gauntlet Prix in her helicopter-type TURBO racer.
Enter a new racer on the qualifying circuit, Leading Man, aka 'Rad Thad,' or actor Thaddeus Hightower, in an amazing TURBO racer that seemingly can't be beat.
Except by Aya, but only just.
No one can explain how he's doing it. Leading Man has no prior racing experience and apparently doesn't know racers, not the way Mace, Aya and Dex do. Something doesn't add up.
And then Mace almost kills a mother and child in a high-speed race on city streets. (My son LOVED the Mazagatti!) He's ready to hang it up, call it quits from racing forever.
Until his friend Dex disappears. Mace discovers the secret to Hightower's "prowess" behind the wheel -- he's not piloting at all. He's warming a chair, and that's it. An artificial intelligence, strictly banned by the TURBO committee, is piloting the craft.
A military power is developing and testing the AI on TURBO race courses before launching it at the world.
It's up to Mace and his crew to stop it -- by out thinking and out driving it and the general who's wielding it.
We LOVED this sequel! We're hoping there will be a third in the series.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
August 9, 2020
See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...
TURBO RACERS: ESCAPE VELOCITY is a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure. Mace Blazer is a TURBOnaut, a high-speed vehicle racer. He recently let the world know who he is- a 12-year-old who took the world by storm. He feels pressure now that people know his age to keep winning so that they won't prevent him from competing. In professional racing, the fans do matter. Then, Mace is on set and gets into a dangerous accident that lands him in the hospital. If it hadn't been for the air bag, he could have died, not to mention the people around that he could have hit.
Mace is not sure he wants to keep racing and he is struggling with post-traumatic stress and anxiety, reliving the accident in his head. However, his friends who race are in danger, and Mace must help them.
What I loved: This book really brings the heart-pounding races to the reader with plenty of intense racing scenes. The main character and his friends are all really compelling and make for a great read. Targeted at the middle grade audience, this book would be great for fans of vehicles and competitions. The elements of post-traumatic stress felt really well and could open the door to important discussions about trauma and anxiety. This could be a great series for fans of action/adventure to pick up!
Final verdict: ESCAPE VELOCITY is a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure with TURBO racing and memorable characters. Great for middle grade readers who love competition, action, vehicles, and a touch of mystery.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
TURBO RACERS: ESCAPE VELOCITY is a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure. Mace Blazer is a TURBOnaut, a high-speed vehicle racer. He recently let the world know who he is- a 12-year-old who took the world by storm. He feels pressure now that people know his age to keep winning so that they won't prevent him from competing. In professional racing, the fans do matter. Then, Mace is on set and gets into a dangerous accident that lands him in the hospital. If it hadn't been for the air bag, he could have died, not to mention the people around that he could have hit.
Mace is not sure he wants to keep racing and he is struggling with post-traumatic stress and anxiety, reliving the accident in his head. However, his friends who race are in danger, and Mace must help them.
What I loved: This book really brings the heart-pounding races to the reader with plenty of intense racing scenes. The main character and his friends are all really compelling and make for a great read. Targeted at the middle grade audience, this book would be great for fans of vehicles and competitions. The elements of post-traumatic stress felt really well and could open the door to important discussions about trauma and anxiety. This could be a great series for fans of action/adventure to pick up!
Final verdict: ESCAPE VELOCITY is a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure with TURBO racing and memorable characters. Great for middle grade readers who love competition, action, vehicles, and a touch of mystery.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
May 30, 2020
To start, let me say that I am not the intended audience for this book. As an adult, I found it enjoyable, even if it wasn't my typical style. I thought it started a little slow but the last half was fast paced as the action and intrigue picks up. I have no doubt that a 10-13 year old, the intended audience for this book, will find it exciting. I suspect I will be sharing it with my kids shortly!
February 29, 2020
I loved, loved //Turbo Racers// Escape Velocity by
//Austin Aslan. Talk about velocity, ramping up even higher in this second book of the Turbo Racers series. Fast-paced with cliffhangers galore, the author keeps the reader interested and excited. Written for ‘pre-teen,’ as a senior I found it an equally satisfying read as for any age I’m sure! I especially liked the places that Mace visited and the relationships between the characters. Do yourself a favor and buy this book! All will enjoy!
//Austin Aslan. Talk about velocity, ramping up even higher in this second book of the Turbo Racers series. Fast-paced with cliffhangers galore, the author keeps the reader interested and excited. Written for ‘pre-teen,’ as a senior I found it an equally satisfying read as for any age I’m sure! I especially liked the places that Mace visited and the relationships between the characters. Do yourself a favor and buy this book! All will enjoy!
March 2, 2020
I wrote this book. And I like it! Actually, in all seriousness, I’m really proud of this one. It’s a ton of fun, the closest I’ve come yet to writing a mystery who-done-it, and I dare say it’s a better story than the original. The twists and turns keep coming and the pay-offs are pretty darn cool. I hope you’ll given it a shot.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews