Review: Eudora Space Kid: The Greatest Matchmaker in Space! by David Horn

Expanding his Eudora Space Kid series with another interstellar romp, author David Horn crafts another hilarious and heartfelt adventure in The Greatest Matchmaker in Space! A wild and whimsical story set onboard the AstroLiner Athena means more adventures and mischievous plots by Eudora, a human adopted by alien parents on an intelligence-gathering mission across the stars.

Nothing gets past Eudora onboard her star-crossing home, and whether it is an impossible engineering puzzle to solve, or the personal problems of the highest-ranking man on the ship, she is ready to take on the challenge. However, inventing a foolproof scheme for falling in love is more complicated than she initially thinks, and in the process of trying to play matchmaker, she also learns about the good and bad sides of personal connections, confusing emotions, and romantic frustrations.

The details of the spaceship are some of the best elements of the story, such as the virtual reality simulations; while these ideas have been explored in other series or sci-fi sagas, there are some unique twists for a book targeted at younger readers. Some of the peripheral characters are also memorable and charming, particularly Molly, with the other foils filling out the edges of this fictional world.

Thematically, this story touches on personal responsibility, self-esteem, the selfless helping of friends, and the act of forming strong personal connections. The plotline of Eudora helping the captain find someone to marry is touching, where everyone involved comes away with valuable lessons. It’s a bit odd for Eudora to claim that romance is her specialty, given that she is a child, but her engineering of the relationship between her teacher and her captain is genuinely moving and funny.

With romance as a focal point, the plotline is far from trite or sentimental – it has some narrative weight for a middle grade story, while still never taking it itself too seriously, a delicate balance that the author handles deftly. Still, there are some sections that feel too informal, especially when Eudora breaks the fourth wall and seems to be speaking directly to the readers, which has the effect of breaking the illusion of this sci-fi world. Additionally, some of the narrative phrasing feels too idiomatic, with some of the descriptive flourishes seeming more aesthetic than functional, and reading like a stream-of-consciousness stretch of writing that doesn’t quite fit the rest of the story. There is also a tendency to end chapters a bit abruptly, particularly if the scene is just going to continue without any clear shift in time or place.

All told, however, this is a fun and engaging installment to an impressive series – both in storytelling and presentation, with expert illustrations by Judit Tondora. Horn is exceptionally good at awakening the imagination of young readers through visual imagery, and those who enjoyed the first three books in the series will be used to the playful tone of the writing. So while there are some rough patches of prose, and suspension of disbelief is absolutely required, The Greatest Matchmaker in Space! is another delightful journey of the AstroLiner Athena with a singularly charming protagonist, which should attract new fans to this entertaining series.