2.5 stars

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.

This is a fine young reader's book with some interesting writing and storylines. I think that this was a great read for a middle grade student/reader, especially those with an inclination for science/space.

2.5 stars
I think this book has a lot of potential but there are just some things that did not work well or interrupted the flow of the story. This review is written at the beginning of April and publication is set for June so I hope they go back and look at some of my comments, I would not recommend the book as it is right now.

The kids sound very young but going to space for 2 years with no mention in the story about how this came to be, no mention of the fact that they appear to be geniuses (their skills are not mentioned until later in the story). Maybe make a note of it being in the future (mentions warp speed so it is in the future) or a comment on how/what this program is about, something so that we know they are special and part of something special.

When talking about the crew patches they say the final design is complete just a week before liftoff. It would take more than a week for the patches to be ready....maybe just have them review the final design and talk about it, like they can mention their favorite parts of it as a way to "show" what it looks like.

The parents would be at the doors where they enter the shuttle bus to take them to the launch pad, not at the actual shuttle/launch pad.

Instead of having them remember their favorite moments and telling each other, make them a part of the story.

At the end of Chap 9, when they are landing on Phobos, it speaks in the past tense as if they are telling the experience to someone who wasn’t there and then switches back to them talking amongst themselves. The flow was weird.

When the setting or conversation changes from one group to another a space between would be helpful. Having it change from one line to the next is unclear and makes it seem like a continuation of the previous setting/conversation rather than the start of a new one. This is especially true when the time jumps significantly, like when it is 3 months later, and there is no break in the paragraph (page 96).

David finally confesses the issue with Cappy was his fault but we only learn about it in a brief few lines when he says he is sorry for letting Kai take the blame after they have returned to the shuttle that will take them home. Why is this not a part of the story? He felt guilty and it is an important lesson for the target age group for the book so his admitting it to Captain Bowie seems like a really important piece of the story.

The names of the spacecraft are not clear or distinct, why not have a name for each? NASA does name each spacecraft so why not in the book?

The settings need to be more clear, it jumps from one to the next and you are not quite sure where they are at times. For example, in Chapter 12 we hear the young astronauts talking but the chapter name is “Home Again” so you start the chapter thinking they are back home and it does not become clear that are at the shuttle that will take them from their spaceship to board the shuttle to go back home until 3 pages into the chapter. Again, as you can see in the example above, naming the different spacecraft would be a benefit and follow along with NASA.

This story is so kind. A group of five kids are selected for a two year space mission. As part of the first young astronaut team, they work together and perform various science experiments in space. The kids are kind, warm, and welcoming of each other, the adults are present and attentive, and encourage the kids to solve their own problems. Everything is just so kind-hearted, even the ways the kids express jealousy and joy at one another's accomplishments. My own concern is that only one of the featured kids is a female. If more of the total book cast were women or non-binary it would be really easy to recommend this to any kid interested in science and space.