Matt Cruse is a pilot in training in Paris when he and his girlfriend, Kate de Vries are invited to join the crew of the Starclimber.  The Starclimber is a secret spaceship designed to go to the far reaches of space and back.  During their journey, Matt and Kate must work out some kinks in their relationship and get back to earth alive.  This becomes difficult when space becomes so unpredictable and the mysterious Babylonians threaten the ship and its crew.  This sequel to Oppel's "Airborn" and "Skybreaker" is a good book with equal amounts of adventure, romance, and science fiction mixed in.

Oppel, Kenneth ~ Starclimber ~ HarperCollins, 2009 ~ 390 pages ~ older children, tweens, some teens, a few adults.

"Rising into the wind, I flew, Paris spread before me. For the first time in my life I was at the helm, though my ship was a humble one, and not my own."

Starclimber is the third book in a series that began with Airborn, and continued with Skybreaker. Again, the major focus is on Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries. There are some new secondary characters.

There is less action here than in the Skybreaker and Airborn, but Starclimber remains a solid story. Both France and Canada are competing to be the first country to explore space. The French are building a sky scraper that will reach into space while the Canadians have somehow sent a cable far into space and created a space vehicle that will ride the cable far into space. The story focuses on the training for the Canadian Astralnauts and the selection process resulting in a very small crew. The crew has relatively little to do since the vehicle simply rides the cable to its end. However, unexpected problems arise that threaten ship and crew. Matt will play a pivotal role. Kate continues to be quite an expert on spatial flora/fauna as well as a bright mind to suggest solutions to problems. There is continued tension between Matt and Kate since Kate is now engaged to a very wealthy gentleman and Matt thought that he and Kate had a special relationship.

The technology in the series is just a bit beyond steam punk and is relatively simple. There is some science and technology, but it's not too advanced. The world-building is limited, but will be quite satisfactory for those who have read the two earlier books. Characterizations are sometimes stereotypical, but are well done. Writing is clear and flows well. The plot is simple -- who will qualify for the voyage and what challenges will they face? No aliens or super weapons, but interesting interactions. There are 28 fairly short chapters.

Starclimber is more of an adventure story that what most consider SF. Still, the pages turn quickly and the starclimber vehicle seems persuasive in context. The fact that Matt began as a cabin boy and Kate is the only child of a wealthy family create a variety of opportunities to examine/explore cultural/class issues.

The front matter contains a clear, attractive sketch of the starclimber vehicle.

The series has received considerable praise in the library oriented reviewing sources, It also provides a different view of technology in an alternative 19th Century that will appeal to quite a few readers. Jacket art by Shane Rebenschied shows Matt and Katt against a cosmic background. Print is large enough for comfortable reading and there is good white space. There is quite a bit of "see-through," but that probably won't bother most readers.

Recommendation:

Starclimber is recommended for most YA collections to complete or continue the series. It is a solid adventure story with two appealing main characters and some science fictional elements but not too many.