Spaceship Down

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

The strong theme and fine characterization found in Spencer’s first
science-fiction title, Guardian of the Dark, are equally present in her
most recent offering, a space Robinsonade with an ecological twist.
Treat and Rafe, respectively female and male and both likely in their
mid-teens, and Cal, a child of four, are the sole survivors of an
Alliance spaceship that crashed on Delta 47 while on a mission to scout
this unexplored planet. The alien world has a breathable atmosphere, but
the trio’s food and water will last only weeks, while rescue is months
away. The question of the threesome’s survival suddenly takes a
different direction when Cal is captured by a dozen “spacers,” whose
illegal mining activities endanger the planet’s structural stability.
To escape, the teen duo must rescue Cal and steal one of the spacers’
ships.

Treat’s and Rafe’s relationship is initially quite hostile as Rafe
repeatedly treats the capable young woman as if she were a useless
little girl. The reasons behind Rafe’s overbearing behavior and his
fears of the alien environment are gradually revealed. Spencer also
creates much suspense via a stylistic device wherein each even-numbered
chapter from 4 through 14 concludes with a paragraph that tantalizingly
reveals bits of ambiguous information about Delta 47’s indigenous
population, the Kefla, and their intentions regarding humans.
Spencer’s intriguing writing style and provocative theme, plus the
fast-moving, adventure-filled plot, which spans just a two-day time
period, will readily appeal to a middle-school audience. Recommended.