Reviews

Space Boy by Orson Scott Card

protoman21's review against another edition

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3.0

A cute little story about a boy who must travel through a wormhole to save his mother from another dimension. If this had been any longer, I probably wouldn't have liked it, but at this length it was short enough that I didn't mind that I didn't get too attached to the characters or really got excited about the story. That said, I won't remember this either. I didn't feel like I wasted my time, but I also won't be recommending this to anyone.

socialamoebaemily's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

I enjoyed this story overall, I think, but the whole naked thing was very weird and uncomfortable. The more OSC I read as an adult, the less I like him. Not sure if I'd recommend it overall but if you have a a few minutes to kill I guess it isn't not worth a read??

kittypaws9's review against another edition

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2.0

Warning: Written for young boys! Lots of poop jokes!

babayagareads's review against another edition

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2.0

Ever the mixed feelings evoked by Orson Scott Card.

tara_dear's review against another edition

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4.0

It was cute.
Very short. I listened to it 2x speed and finished it in a single run. Not much complex at all, but different.

raylawler's review against another edition

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3.0

Short story. Good, but not great. The magic in it felt similar to Mither Mages.

kristaallysa1's review against another edition

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4.0

There are two things you should know about Todd: 1. He wants to go to space, but doesn't think he'll ever be smart enough or fit enough to be an astronaut 2. His mom went missing 4 years ago and nobody knows where she went.

This was a short, fun story of a boy who dreams of space.
SpoilerWe follow Todd as he goes to rescue his mom from where she's trapped on another planet. It's a planet where physics and time work differently.


Space Boy is an adventure story, where a kid is the hero. But, unlike most other adventure stories of this type, the parents aren't absentee, but are very much involved in the action. Instead of going off on his own, Todd asks his dad for help. Then Todd's dad helps him make and execute his plan
Spoiler to find and rescue his mother.
Honestly, the change felt refreshing.

t_bun's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

1.5

snuzzbobble's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

divadiane's review against another edition

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3.0

On our epic road trip from the UK to Italy (post pandemic lockdown), we found this short story to listen to on Audible’s Stories website, which is stories for kids for free to stream.

Despite disliking Card’s political and moral prejudices, the man can write a good story. This one was quite humorous at times, explaining monsters in closets, elves and missing socks all in one fell swoop. Excellently narrated by Stefan Rudnicki.

Don’t read on if you don’t like spoilers. Listen to it first (it’s only 1 hour and 50 minutes long) and come back!





But what was with the extended bit about sticking a hose up the worms anus?!? For someone who’s stance on homosexuality is ever so clear, it’s a bit disturbing that the whole rescue operation involved inserting various objects through the worm’s anus. Ah well, I’m sure 8-13 year old boys find it just hilariously funny. Bathroom humor, you know?