Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Spaceship adventure fails to rise above its gimmick.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
When high school senior and gamer Zack Lightman spots a UFO outside his window, he thinks he might be hallucinating. But when he's recruited later that day by the Earth Defense Alliance to repel an alien invasion, he knows the threat is all too real. Although skilled at piloting digital starships online, Zack needs to prepare himself for real-life combat at a military base on the dark side of the moon. In the process, he learns some long-hidden family secrets, but even bigger surprises await him as the countdown to battle ticks away.
Is It Any Good?
For anyone who enjoys sitting down and picking apart the logical inconsistencies in favorite movies or TV shows, this is the perfect book. But if you're not interested in the minutiae of video game history and sci-fi lore, Armada may be a tougher read than Ernest Cline's earlier novel, Ready Player One.
The setup doesn't feel as fresh, the battle scenes seem repetitive, and the big reveal at the end disappoints. There's still plenty to like, though: funny gags, an engaging narrator/protagonist, some thrilling action scenes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how video games have become an important part of pop culture. Why are online games so popular? What does the medium offer that others don't?
What kinds of sacrifices do parents have to make in military families? How might it feel to be a child whose parent is stationed in a dangerous area overseas? What can be done to support such families?
Do governments ever lie to their citizens? Why might they do so? Is concealing important information from the public ever justified?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Crown Publishing Group
- Publication date : July 14, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 368
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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