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Moses Mikheyev
Author
Olivia & the Gentleman from Outer Space

Only friendship has the power to transcend time and space . . .

 

When six-year-old Olivia finds a glowing treasure map that only she can see, she has no idea what it means. But six years later, when a spaceship lands in the wheatfields behind the farmhouse where she lives with her dad, she discovers she has an important destiny to fulfill. She is the Princess of Blue Earth, and only she can read the map that will lead to the Black Ruby, which has the power to heal anything—including her father’s cancer.

 

Accompanied by a time traveler boy named Galax, she sets out on a magical and imaginative adventure that will take them to the ethereal beauty of the moon and across the wonders of space in their search for the Black Ruby. But the Black Priests also want the Ruby for nefarious reasons . . . and they’ll do anything to stop Olivia and Galax from taking it.

 

Reviews
Mikheyev’s (This Time Next Summer) warmhearted middle-grade debut details the transformative journey of 12-year-old Olivia, who not only views the wonders of the cosmos with an otherworldly companion, but alters how she sees herself. Ordinary Olivia lives on a Kansas farm with her dad, whose lung cancer hasn’t weakened his resolute optimism. On a quiet July night, she watches in astonishment as a spaceship crashes into their wheat field, and jumps into action only when she realizes her beloved German Shepherd is hurt. So the first, momentous meeting of Olivia Fierce and the intergalactic traveler Galax (formally known as Milky Way, Prince of the Galaxy) is a frantic plea to save her dog. This unnerving encounter doesn’t shock her as much as what the boyish alien calls her: Madam Olivia, Princess of Blue Earth.

Olivia readily accepts the impossible, including Galax’s power to heal, a prophecy, and a treasure map. Guiding him to the Black Ruby, which will restore his waning strength. But no way could she ever be a princess. Mikheyev charts Olivia’s excitement and confusion with a first-person narration that captures both her impulsive nature and underlying compassion. He deftly uses color as an indicator of physical and emotional well-being. When Olivia and Galax enter the Invisible Ocean, a magnificent body of water floating in space, the riotous hues astound them, but as they steer toward danger, the environment becomes monochromatic, and Galax’s blue skin glows and dims with his energy levels.

Olivia & the Gentleman from Outer Space reverberates with echoes from classic fantasies of displacement, but the effect is more personal than derivative. Mikheyev uses genre conventions to present young readers with a positive vision of the jarring changes ahead: it’s only when Olivia becomes untethered from her identity as a restless, precocious kid that she can embrace her abilities. Olivia discovers that observation is a gift that opens up new worlds.

Takeaway: An introspective alien and gutsy girl team up for a mind-expanding adventure.

Great for fans of: Lee Bacon’s The Last Human, Nicole Kornher-Stace’s Jillian vs Parasite Planet, and Geoff Rodkey’s We’re Not from Here.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-

Formats
Kindle Edition Digital Ebook Purchas Details
  • B0BJ5PVJLK
  • pages
  • $
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