by Wesley King
Finally, I need you to do me a favor. There’s a boy living in the Charles Hodge Orphanage named Jonah R. Hillcrest. He was supposed to be here, but they took me by mistake. I think he would have liked it here. I think he would have found a home.
I’d still like him to have one. I know this is a lot to ask, but could you look after him until I get back? He can have my stuff. Sorry if he’s a pickpocket or something, but it turns out pickpockets aren’t half bad either. Give him a chance. He’ll probably surprise you.
Well, I better get to the bridge. We’re about to set out for PER-1 to save the first batch of Space Raiders. I’ve never captained a ship, as you know, so wish me luck.
And if this is the last letter you get from me (even though I said I’ll be back), good-bye. I love you. If strange men come to the door for the new Jonah, tell him to hide.
Sincerely,
Captain Jonah the Now Incredible,
Commander of the Incredible Space Raiders from Space
Jonah read over the letter one last time and then stuffed it into the circular message pod and closed the cap. It was time. He’d given Captain White Shark the monkey and the commander’s message—accompanied by two Space Raiders with guns, of course—and watched as he took it with trembling hands. When Jonah closed the brig door, he thought he saw tears in Captain White Shark’s cold gray eyes.
He walked down the crew’s quarters toward the bridge, where the double doors were wide open. Space Raiders saluted him as he walked by. He walked onto the bridge, where his crew was waiting. Martin was standing by the wall equipment.
“Do you know where we blast off message pods?” he asked.
Martin nodded. “Of course.”
Jonah tossed him the pod, and he caught it in both hands. “Please send this when you have a chance. To Earth.”
Martin grinned. “Yes, sir.”
“I told you to stop—” He sighed. “Thank you.”
Jonah climbed up into the captain’s chair and sat down. It was big and bulky and his feet didn’t even touch the floor, but it was still quite a view. He looked into space, where a million stars and nebulae and planets sparkled in the darkness. It was beautiful.
“Did you find PER-1?” Jonah asked Ria, the new navigator.
He’d debated which group to save first, but they’d ultimately decided to go for the group that had been stuck on the planet longest. It seemed fair.
“Yes, sir,” Ria said, glancing back. “Two weeks’ flight.”
“I guess we better get started,” Jonah said. “Alex, let’s go bring the Space Raiders home.”
Alex grinned and pulled the throttle. With a slow, steady movement, the ship started forward. The bridge crew cheered—Willona being the loudest—and Jonah heard the cheer echo back through the hall, where it was taken up by the other Space Raiders.
He knew there was danger ahead. He knew this journey was far from over. But no matter what happened, they’d already won. Because not one of these Space Raiders was an orphan anymore. A castoff. They were a family, and this was a home. There was no better feeling than that. And for now, it was his home too.
He was Jonah the Now Incredible . . . from Space.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to my new and yet already long-suffering wife, Juliana, who puts up with me while I voyage across the stars. Your patience and humor give me a great reason to come back to Earth. Thanks as always to my parents, who still support and encourage me every step of the way, even though I don’t have to live at home anymore and eat all their groceries. Sometimes I wish I still could, though. Thanks to the rest of my family for your love and support, and a special mention to my first nephew, Jacob King—you’re not even one yet, and you’re already in a book! I hope you like this one day.
Thank you as well to Deb and Rick for bringing me into your family with open arms. Rick, you’re an inspiration to anyone facing challenges in their life, and you certainly put my problems in perspective. I’m honored to call you my father-in-law.
A huge thank-you to my fantastic editor Sylvie Frank, who shares a love of all things wacky and weird and fun. You brought humanity to the story, so thank you. And thank you as well to Paula Wiseman for bringing me on board and giving this strange story a chance. And, of course, to my amazing agent and friend Brianne Johnson, who continues to provide me with support and encouragement. Thank you for continuing to believe in me and for always pushing me to be better.
And thank you to the rest of my extended family and friends. You all went out and bought my first book and showed up at signings and continue to support me every day. I can’t express how much I appreciate that.
Finally, I just want to share a note about the dedication. My cousin passed away while I was writing this book, but she left behind a legacy of compassion, adventure, and pure joy that will be sorely missed. The Samantha in this book appeared before that tragic news, but I think she shares the same spirit of adventure. Sometimes the little things we do in life make the biggest impact on those around us. For her, it was just a smile.
WESLEY KING used to write stories about his superhero action figures when he was a kid. Now that he’s no longer a kid, he writes novels for kids. He was called “an author to watch” by School Library Journal. In a starred review, VOYA praised his first book, The Vindico: “King brilliantly combines teenage points of view and emotions with comic book excitement in this superbly composed tale of superheroes and super villains.” Wesley King lives in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
A Paula Wiseman Book
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2015 by Wesley King
Cover illustrations copyright © 2015 by Orlin Culture Shop
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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Jacket design by Laurent Linn
Interior design by Hilary Zarycky
Endpaper art by Orlin Culture Shop
The text for this book is set in Minister.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
King, Wesley.
The Incredible Space Raiders from space! / Wesley King.—First edition.
pages cm
“A Paula Wiseman Book.”
Summary: In 2156, when Jonah awakens on the Fantastic Flying Squirrel, he is informed that he is one of 200 children being trained as The Incredible Space Raiders, whose mission is to destroy the Entirely Evil Things of the Dark Zone, but there is more going on than any of the children could guess.
I
SBN 978-1-4814-2319-9 (hardcover)—ISBN 978-1-4814-2321-2 (ebook)
[1. Adventure and adventurers--Fiction. 2. Heroes—Fiction. 3. Space flight—Fiction. 4. Orphans—Fiction. 5. Humorous stories. 6. Science fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.K58922Inc 2015
[Fic]—dc23
2014010044