It’s a race to the very top, and Matt is determined to be a part of the adventure. But can he outlast his competition?

The sequel to Airborn & Skybreaker...

At long last, Matt Cruse is at the helm.

Though it’s only a summer job piloting a humble aerocrane, he’s thrilled to be a small part of something big. With every load, he’s helping to build the Celestial Tower, Paris’s extraordinary gateway to outer space. But Matt’s idyllic summer is short-lived. He narrowly survives a deadly attack by the fanatical Babelites, who are opposed to humans reaching the heavens. Worse still, his nights spent stargazing with Kate de Vries must end when she’s summoned back to Lionsgate City by her parents. It’s time she began to think about getting married.

But then a chance of a lifetime boosts Matt’s hopes of being airborne once more. Canada wants to reach space first, and the Canadian Minister of Air has asked Kate to join the first expedition as an expert on aerial zoology. There’s a place for Matt, too—if he can pass the grueling tests to become one of the world’s first astralnauts on board the incredible ship Starclimber.

It’s a race to the very top, and Matt is determined to be a part of the adventure. But can he outlast his competition? And if he is chosen to join the crew, will they ever return to Earth?

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Reviews

Matt Cruse, hero of Printz Honor�winning Airborn (2004) and its sequel, Skybreaker (2006), returns for another thrilling adventure.... Once again, Oppel has assembled intriguing characters, especially Matt's fellow astralnauts, who populate a fast-paced narrative that features enough unpredictable plot twists to keep readers riveted to Matt's story to the finish.

– Kirkus Reviews

Oppel's books are equally notable for their action-packed plots and superb characterization, a combination that is not always easy to find in the fantasy/science fiction genre. Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries are back for their third adventure...and, not surprisingly, their relationship is pushed to the limits right along with their adrenaline.... True to form, Matt and Kate rise to the challenges, emerging victorious in life and in love.

– The Horn Book

The climax is relentlessly suspenseful, another Oppel trademark, and no reader who comes to the book for sheer excitement will be disappointed. Even more impressive, though, is the cumulative depth and subtlety Oppel has brought to the characters of Matt and Kate over the three volumes of this playful series.

– The Globe and Mail

Readers will be enraptured by this gripping tale, which delivers fast-paced fantasy and rich psychological drama.... The protagonists' experiences of social injustices add to the text's philosophical meatiness, making it much more than a simple adventure story. Even as they explore the natural world, Oppel's satisfyingly complex characters examine what it means to be human.

– Quill & Quire (starred review)

"Canada has given the world a growing number of great adult novelists, from Margaret Atwood to Robertson Davies, but until recently no children's authors. Kenneth Oppel, the boyish-looking man sitting opposite me in a London café, is the first .... If you have a boy who is a reluctant reader and only into gaming, Oppel is a godsend. He writes books that will enchant any child of 8+ who loves the Indiana Jones movies, Jules Verne or Tintin."

– The Times (London)

This sequel to Airborn and Skybreaker continues the fabulous adventures of Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries. In classic steampunk fashion, this book blends the best of Victorian society and science fiction.... Starclimber is a thrilling roller-coaster ride of a book, full of humor and derring-do and guaranteed to keep readers up long past midnight.

– School Library Journal (starred review)

– School Library Journal (starred review)