REALIA

In Watts’ middle-grade SF novel, a series of strange incidents, including the arrival of a mysterious “archivist,” convinces a bright fifth grader that an otherworldly conspiracy is afoot.

In the mid-1990s, personal computers are making serious changes in classrooms, and something called the Internet is turning out to be a societal game-changer; such is the stimulating environment inhabited by inquisitive Graeme Pendlebury, a middle school student living outside Boston who’s maturing into a science-minded type and math whiz with an uncommon grasp of problem-solving and the “Big Picture.” Graeme is a genius and a prodigy, but even he is baffled when, during a field trip to the famous Computer Museum at MIT in Boston, Graeme receives an extraordinary bequest from unknown benefactors, a gift that could make him independently wealthy for the rest of his life (and thusly ease the pressure to excel at homework). At the same time, a mysterious man calling himself Ennis, who’s nonthreatening but just a little bit off-kilter, appears at Graeme’s school claiming to be an “archivist” and using various strange and unfamiliar diagnostic devices on students. Ennis seems to have the unquestioning approval of the suddenly docile, passive faculty. Graeme senses some kind of troubling scheme at work, possibly connected with his sudden fortune. But what could it be?

If Isaac Asimov had contributed to a science fiction version of the famous Goosebumps YA book series, the results might have looked a bit like this—and that is no small compliment. Although constrained to a middle-grade chapter-book length, the smart narrative avoids being condescending, with a likable and relatable young hero; genre readers may be reminded of the imperturbable, brainy Charles Wallace of A Wrinkle in Time, though Watts manages to get inside the head of his protagonist a bit more deeply, detailing Graeme’s occasional frustrations and his dawning interest in girls. Some middle-grade readers (apart from the Graeme types) might find the text to be wordy, too leisurely in the buildup, and parsimonious in dealing out shock-and-awe action (though a stirring sense of wonder is invoked when Graeme and his friend Piper begin to realize the incomprehensibly vast scale of the sinister conspiracy they face). As in the classic, original Star Trektelevision series, the cosmic challenge is met with chessboard-move strategies employing logic and good judgment (while keeping the more expensive, special effects–dependent elements conveniently offstage). As a key revelation is depicted: “It was right then that Graeme figured it out what he meant by Child Thinking and Adult Thinking. Child Thinking was just considering the number of pieces a jigsaw puzzle has when determining how hard it would be to put together. Adult Thinking was also taking into account what the picture was of and how hard it would be to tell where every piece belonged.” This is well-mannered, restrained, and satisfying SF for all ages that celebrates the intellect and does not concede to trendy cynicism or dystopian themes.

A compact, high-IQ SF story that bundles some rewarding surprises into its middle-grade setting.