![\"larklight.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/larklight.jpg\")
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Larklight<\/em><\/p>\n Or:\u00a0 The Revenge of the White Spiders!<\/em><\/p>\n Or:\u00a0 To Saturn’s Rings and Back!\u00a0 A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space! <\/em><\/p>\n by Philip Reeve<\/p>\n Performed by Greg Steinbruner<\/p>\n Bloomsbury Children\u2019s Books, 2006. 400 pages.<\/p>\n Audiobook:\u00a0 Recorded Books, 2007. 8 CDs, 8.75 hours.<\/p>\n Starred Review.<\/p>\n Imagine for a moment that outer space is not a black emptiness, but really the \u201caether,\u201d and full of living things.\u00a0 Imagine that there\u2019s life on Mars, life on Venus, life on Saturn, and even \u201cichthyomorphs\u201d floating in the middle of space.<\/p>\n Now imagine that instead of just discovering gravity, Isaac Newton used alchemy to figure out how to make spaceships.\u00a0 Imagine that in the 1800s, the British Empire wasn\u2019t just an earthly empire ruling the seas, but ruled the solar system.<\/p>\n Art and Myrtle Mumby grew up on Larklight, a large old house that orbited the moon.<\/p>\n At the start of the book, their house is attacked by space spiders the size of elephants.\u00a0 Their father is captured by the spiders, but they manage to escape and land on the moon.\u00a0 On the moon, their life is in danger from giant moths, but they are rescued by space pirates.\u00a0 The captain of the pirates is a teenage boy, but the crew are all aliens.<\/p>\n The pirates don\u2019t want to obey Myrtle\u2019s demands and take them to a British Embassy, and the children’s\u00a0adventures are only beginning.\u00a0 The book presents narrow escape after narrow escape as Art and Myrtle travel the solar system and end up saving the world.<\/p>\n This story is indeed a \u201crousing tale of dauntless pluck.\u201d\u00a0 I was put off at the beginning because I hate the thought of giant spiders, but before long I was lingering in my car to listen.\u00a0 Even though I knew Art would surely escape, several times I found myself wondering how on earth he would get out of the latest tight spot.<\/p>\n Once again, I was enchanted by the delightful accents of the British narrator.\u00a0 This audiobook would be a fabulous adventure to listen to for a family traveling on summer vacation.\u00a0 Although there are some fearsome situations, Art and Myrtle emerge unscathed from them all.\u00a0 Great fun!<\/p>\n Buy from Amazon.com<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n Find this review on the main site at:<\/p>\n