Product Description

A meteorite is hurtling toward the Black Hills of South Dakota. . . .

Brady Steele watches in awe as a fireball comes crashing through the roof of his house. Brady immediately calls up his cousin, Quinn. They both love all things extreme, and this is the most extreme thing ever!

Fred, as Brady names his space rock, turns out to be one of the rarest meteorites ever found. Professor Rip Ripley from the museum in Hill City wants to study a sliver of it in search of extraterrestrial bacteria. He's hoping to discover the first proof of life beyond Earth, a momentous breakthrough for the new science of astrobiology.

During a wild week of extreme bicycling, fishing, and caving, Brady and Quinn battle their rivals, the notorious Carver boys, for possession of the meteorite. With each new day, Brady is discovering he's able to do strange and wonderful feats that shouldn't be possible. At the same time, he's developing some frightening symptoms. Could he be infected with long-dormant microbes from space? Is Fred a prize or a menace?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15982 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-01
• Released on: 2008-02-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

From Booklist
When a meteorite crashes through the roof of Brady’s home in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the young astrophile is excited beyond belief. He names it Fred (for “Far Roaming Earth Diver”) and calls his cousin Quinn over to check it out. The two are enamored of anything extreme or insane and deem this space rock “extremely insane” before setting out for a headlong series of bicycling, fishing, and caving adventures. When Brady starts to surpass his normal physical limitations, it becomes apparent that the meteorite might have brought along some hidden visitors with it from outer space. Hobbs captures young teen dialogue well, and the characters are all easy to like in this solid adventure. Reluctant readers who’d rather be airborne than chairbound will appreciate the two young boys’ penchant for pushing the envelope, and the postulations involving extremophile organisms is a neat twist with just a hint of science behind it, even if it leads to a few mildly preposterous situations by the end. Grades 5-8. --Ian Chipman

Review
"This fast-moving tale by an author known for exciting survival stories...is full of sports action...intriguing." -- KLIATT

Review
"Offering something to tantalize nearly every boyish taste, this title is a great choice for reluctant readers." (School Library Journal )

"Hobbs is in great form here...mysterious and compelling-the pace moves along swiftly...powerful." (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) )

"With convincing, first-person narration, a fast pace and plenty of suspense, this is a welcome addition to Hobbs's extremely reader-pleasing work." (Kirkus Reviews )

"This fast-moving tale by an author known for exciting survival stories...is full of sports action...intriguing." (KLIATT )

Customer Reviews

go big or go home
Go Big Or Go Home
In the Black Hills of South Dakota one dark summer night, a meteor shower started. Little balls of fire crashed down to earth with super sonic speed. Brady heard a big boom coming from the house and he ran back to find a hole in his roof. He finds a meteorite on the floor of his bedroom. While days go by, strange and weird thing start happening to Brady. He gets amazing amounts of energy, strength and courage to do extreme things like going real fast on a dirt bike or doing a slam-dunk in basketball.
I love this book because it is grabbing and funny. It contains adventure and extreme sports. I recommend this book to any one that likes an adventure or a little bit of mystery. It was hard to put this book down because every page is like a new chapter in Brady's life. I didn't want to put this book down; it was that great.








Teddy R

Go Read: Go Big or Go Home
Popular author for young adults, Will Hobbs, has written another great adventure story for upper elementary/middle school kids. This one, set in South Dakota's Black Hills, includes astrobiology, biology, geology, fishing, caving, biking, friends and family--to the extreme. It's a fun, captivating read with some amazing lessons sneaked in.