Common Sense Media Review
By Tracy Moore
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Delightful, funny dad-son space-travel adventure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
It's Take Your Kid to Work Day, and Archie heads out for a midnight taxi run with his dad. But soon he realizes this taxi won't be making regular stops on planet Earth. As he buckles up, he learns his dad flies intergalactic missions to far-flung planets, transporting aliens to and fro, and they aren't all as friendly as they seem. Will Archie get up to speed fast enough to become Dad's copilot for a day? And how will he ever explain this to the kids back home?
Is It Any Good?
This is an entertaining read because it has so much fun with its space-age premise, blending warm humor, silly twists, and spirited, likable characters. The author's imagining of space is a perfect kid-friendly incarnation that isn't too frightening or overly simplistic, with extra-tall people on a lower-gravity planet, strange cat detectives, and moderate suspense.
Through 8-year-old Archie's eyes and innocent wonderment, kids can easily imagine what space travel would be like in SPACE TAXI: ARCHIE TAKES FLIGHT. And with its simple, cartoon-like illustrations of characters' adventures and plain-spoken language, it also will help readers stretch their imaginations to comprehend far-flung places, while keeping their concept of outer space grounded in reality.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about space travel. Why do you think books about it are so popular?
If aliens exist, what do you think they're really like?
What's the most surprising part of Space Taxi's portrayal of space? Was it like you imagined it?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Animals , STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : April 1, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 6 - 10
- Number of pages : 112
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (abridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate