BOOK BY: Jo Ann Jeffries & Lukas Kaiolohia Bob
This is an interesting premise for a middle grade novel, and one that has a lot of potential. The story is about a group of kids selected by NASA to go to space, while working on their own special space science experiments.
I really wanted to like the story, but in the end it struck me as needing more polish and adjustments to make a stronger middle grade novel.
The children are likeable enough, but a bit unrealistic – very good, very kind, people-pleasers, and out of this world geniuses. They all work together, all the time to solve problems. One child finally admits he did something wrong, with a no harm-no foul kind of result. When issues arise in their space mission, it is the children who save the day instead of the adult astronauts (who have spent years training and studying to get to space). The types of experiments the kids are working on are at least on the level of University level projects (some maybe even Masters or PHDs). These children range in ages – 10 to 13.
The narrative jumps from one scene to the next, leaving the reader wondering what just happened, or where the setting is.
Adults are fixtures in the story, and seem to be okay with everything the kids want to do. I wonder about the parents – would parents really let their 10 year old go to outer space for two years by himself?
I think the story would work better as a space camp situation at the NASA campus, rather than actually traveling to space. It’s a bit of a stretch for the imagination, even with recent trips to Mars.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.