Starbounders by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson

This book came out in 2013, appears to be the first book in a new series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Zachary Night is heading to Indigo 8 to begin his Starbounder training. Starbounders are kind of like the space army that protects all of the peaceful planets and colonies in space. Zachary and his friends, Kaylee and Ryic, are sent to a ship to serve a punishment, but the ship is taken over by hijackers. The hijacking leads to travels throughout the universe as the kids discover that Earth is going to be attacked by a huge enemy force, and someone has hired assassins to kill them. How can three kids, with one week of training, hope to survive and save Earth?

The characters zip through the universe via bends, like portals in space, and the settings during the story vary greatly. The character interactions work nicely as Zachary is a member of a legendary Starbounder family, Kaylee is the angry, determined fighter, and Ryic is the naive, intelligent alien. The plot also includes some unique, new inventions. For example, the Starbounders wear warp gloves that allow them to open mini-portals over short distances.  The three main characters add another person to their group later in the book, and the resolution is left open for a new enemy in book two.