Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Bounders by Monica Tesler (Character Interview with Jasper + Giveaway)

So, I got the chance to corner Jasper of Bounders for a short interview today with permission of course from her talented creator Monica Tesler. For those who haven’t met Jasper yet, he’s one of those lucky kids sent out into space to undergo astronaut training. Actually they are called bounders, and I’ve heard they not only do training in outer space. Let’s try if Jasper can share more to us.

Character Interview with Jasper of Bounders

Hi Jasper. Could you tell us about yourself, your family and home?

Sure. I’m from Americana East, District Eight. I live in a skyscraper with my family, a couple hundred blocks west of the retaining wall. I have a younger sister, Addy. She’s a Bounder, too. So she’ll be coming with me to the EarthBound Academy when I leave for my third tour. Oh, and I play the clarinet.

Do you have any idea why you were chosen to be in this special training?

Well, it’s really no mystery. My parents carry the Bounder genes, so Addy and I were bred to be Bounders. Of course, we had to go for testing every year, so it was never one hundred percent sure that I’d be selected for the Academy. Sometimes I wonder whether they made a mistake, whether someone else should have been sent in my place.

What do you think of the brand new brain-sync technology? What was your reaction when you found out?

How do you know about that? I mean, what new brain-sync technology? Let’s just say that if there was such a thing as brain-sync technology (and no Earth Force gag order), I’d probably think it was incredibly cool but kind of scary.

How do you interact with your podmates? Is there any tension between you and the others?

At first there was. Cole didn’t like Marco, and Lucy was super annoyed that she was placed in the same pod as Mira. But now we get along most of the time. In fact, I can’t imagine what the Academy would be like without my podmates. They’re my best friends.

What are your current goals?

Goals? Hmmm. It’s hard to have your own goals when you serve at the pleasure of the Admiral. I want to keep my friends and family safe. And I want to protect my planet. That’s why I’m proud to serve in Earth Force, even though I really don’t have much choice.

If you could go to a specific time and place, where and when would you go? Why?

I’d love to visit Earth around the time that humans first started communicating and cooperating. I wouldn’t bug them or anything. I’d just like to see what Earth was like then. During our first tour of duty at the EarthBound Academy, we visited the Paleo Planet. It definitely wasn’t the best field trip, but it made me really curious about our own planet before humans took over everything.

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Thanks so much Jasper for answering all the questions above. We are looking forward for more of your adventures and stories. I’ve heard Monica has lots of plans for you and the other bounders.

I hope you all enjoy the interview, and don’t forget to check the bottom of the post for the giveaway and also check out the rest of the Celebrating Debutantes 2016 event!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Monica Tesler lives outside of Boston with her husband and their two boys. She earned her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan, and she has worked as an attorney for more than fifteen years. She can be found online at monicatesler.com.

BOUNDERS is the first book in her debut, middle grade science fiction adventure series from Simon & Schuster/Aladdin.

Find Monica

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Book Details:

Title: Bounders
Author: Monica Tesler
Publisher: Alladin / Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: January 5th, 2016:
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover, eBooks

In the tradition of Michael Vey and The Unwanteds, twelve-year-old Jasper and his friends are forced to go up against an alien society in this first book in a brand-new adventure series!

Thirteen years ago, Earth Force—a space-military agency—discovered a connection between brain structure and space travel. Now they’ve brought together the first team of cadets, called Bounders, to be trained as high-level astronauts.

Twelve-year-old Jasper is part of this team being sent out into space. After being bullied back on Earth, Jasper is thrilled to have something new and different to do with other kids who are more like him. While learning all about the new technologies and taking classes in mobility—otherwise known as flying with jetpacks—Jasper befriends the four other students in his pod and finally feels like he has found his place in the world.

But then Jasper and his new friends learn that they haven’t been told everything about Earth Force. They weren’t brought to space for astronaut training, but to learn a new, highly classified brain-sync technology that allows them to manipulate matter and quantum bound, or teleport. And it isn’t long before they find out this new technology was actually stolen from an alien society.

When Jasper and his friends discover the truth about why Earth Force needs them, they are faced with a choice: rebel against the academy that brought them together, or fulfill their duty and protect the planet at all costs.

Book Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Book Depository | IndieBound | Goodreads

 

Giveaway:

What’s up for Grabs?

• Bounders Swag Pack
  

The Rules:

• Open International
• There will be one (1) winner only
• Winner will be chosen by rafflecopter
• Winner will be contacted thru email & should response within 48 hours
• Ends March 18th, 2016
• Prizes will be sent by the author

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form

Good Luck!!!

Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full list of schedule and links to each feature post!