Title: perhaps a little out-of-date, but still well-woven sci-fi for middle-grade boys
Product review: I read the book _City of Lead and Gold_ and its sequels as a kid, and now I want to go back read them again. I really enjoyed this prequel. There's a lot of suspense and some though-provoking issues, not just in the sci-fi elements to the story (about the multi-stage invasion of earth by aliens), but also in the human relationships. Some young readers might find the book frightening, and others might find it insufficiently up-to-date (no mention of the internet or cell phones, for example). However, my son (a precocious 8 1/2) really, really liked _When the Tripods Came_, too. He even thanked me for giving it to him!
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