Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I read (with my ears) this delightful middle grade book with characters who pop to life. Who couldn't love Magnolia Jean Crook from Totter, Texas? Set in the '60s, the story will be an eye-opener for contemporary kids who rely so heavily on their devices, and the story will likely spark some interest in a time when UFO sightings and alien stories were all the rage. There's mystery, humor, and author Anne Bustard even gently brings in dealing with dementia. The narrator does an outstanding job and gets the characters just right. Definitely recommend this book and could easily see another installment coming. If so, I'm IN.

”Be curious.”

Far Out! by Anne Bustard is a sweet middle-grade fiction about one town’s reaction to the Space Race in the 1960s. Totter, Texas, is ready to welcome intergalactic friends during the first annual Come on Down Day in the fall of 1964, but disaster strikes when the meteorite on display is stolen! After eleven-year-old Magnolia Jean (MJ) Crook and her best friend, Nick Lawless, find the space rock in her grandmother Mimi’s shed, the game is now afoot!

While 1964 was a long time ago, several aspects of this delightful story are still applicable. Most people love adventure and solving mysteries, which is why so many old-fashioned books have stood the test of time, such as Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes. In Far Out!, Come on Down Day is only days away, and MJ and Nick must become amateur sleuths and gather evidence and identify suspects to determine who swiped the meteorite (twice!) and then framed Mimi for the crime. As the clues pile up and as Mimi languishes in the clinker, the mystery becomes as hazy as a nebulous cloud. MJ and Nick must accelerate their gumshoe efforts to oust the true culprit and set Mimi free.

Anne Bustard delivers a supernova of a story that is out of this world, far out, and right on! UFO sightings have captured the imagination for forever. This cleverly written tale is fiction, but the historical basis offers just enough truth to spark the interest to research real well-documented UFO stories and sightings. While Roswell, New Mexico, is super famous, what about the 1897 spaceship crash in Aurora, Texas, and the subsequent burial in a nearby cemetery? MJ and Nick and everyone else in Totter have certainly done their homework on otherworldly visits and now wait with welcoming hospitality for their outer space friends to show up on Come on Down Day.

Far Out! can be quite silly, but it does have a serious element that is relevant today. MJ’s Mimi has been showing signs of cognitive decline, and the characters in this sweet story treat Mimi and her increasing forgetfulness with respect and compassion. This reality does not dim the lightheartedness of the story but instead keeps it solidly planted on terra firma.

The author expertly weaves a quick-paced tale of both truth and fiction that will surely appeal to readers of all ages, throughout the ages. Far Out! has many takeaways, such as the price of greed and the unfailing tenacity of eleven-year-olds; however, a clear message is that while things change over the years, such as technology, innovation, and discoveries, some things remain the same, such as curiosity, friendship, and family. For me, Far Out! can be summed up in the famous words of Casey Kasem: “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.” That is exactly what young Magnolia Jean Crook is doing as she continues to believe that visitors from outer space will one day land in Totter, Texas, and continues to love and care for her beloved Mimi, no matter what.

Is a sequel to Far Out! on the horizon? Sure hope so because the newly formed Crook and Lawless Detective Agency sounds like a sure-fire winner. Neato!

This is a fun mystery that takes place in a small Texas town in the 1960s. It follows MJ Crook and her friend Nick as they try to prove her grandma's innocence in a meteorite theft. I like the extraterrestrial theming and the pace of the story. I also like the family themes. This is an enjoyable book for younger sleuths.

Anne Bustard creates a magical story of family love combined with a plan to welcome extraterrestrial visitors to the small town of Totter, Texas, circa 1964. This chapter book features Magnolia Jean Crook, MJ, and Nick Lawless. MJ wants to help solve the mystery when the meteorite, the event’s centerpiece, disappears. She and her friend Nick use the same methods as the Hardy Boys mysteries to evaluate the list of suspects and uncover clues. They are likable complementary characters. When it seems MJ’s grandmother stole the meteorite the investigation goes into high gear. MJ refuses to believe Mimi’s guilty. MJ and Nick carefully evaluate the opportunity, motive, and reason for each suspect.

Nick loves music but keeps his eyes and ears open to collect clues with MJ. His first goal is to perform at the tenth anniversary of the Totter Unidentified Flying Object Organization (TUFOO). The town leaves no stone unturned to open its hearts and minds to welcome visitors from outer space. Most of the town folk are believers.

I felt at home in this small town. The wide array of quaint characters seems invested in community activities. The tenth annual welcome the aliens event highlights people of this era’s fascination with space travel. Families seem to unite for a common cause. MJ illustrates this with her determination to rescue her grandmother from an unfair charge. Regardless of Mimi’s peculiarities, she’s innocent until proven guilty.
Young readers will enjoy this exciting middle-grade science fiction. The characters are believable for the times depicted in dialogue, mannerisms, and surrounding activities. The underlying conversation on afflictions of aged family members delivers a great perspective on opening the subject to all ages. An entertaining mystery for young folks to learn logical deduction. Nicely done.

I initially wanted to read Far Out! with my son, but after a few chapters realized it wasn't quite a good real aloud for us as it was advanced for him. So I devoured it quickly on my own. You see, the main characters are fifth graders, and there's a big difference in reading level with my lower elementary kiddo. Plus, these fifth graders seem super mature! So I would say this is more of a middle grade or advanced upper elementary read.

I mean, our main character is MJ and her best friend Nick mows Mimi's lawn - Mimi is MJ's grandmother. When I was 12 was I mowing other people's grandmother's lawns? HA! I was collecting Lisa Frank binders and playing with my dolls still. It's also the mid-60s so maybe the kids during those times had different expectations. So yea, mature kiddos. And not only are they great helpers in their family, they also do a lot for their community. And, the best part, they are amateur sleuths.  

As a kid I devoured kid sleuth novels, so this one was a good read for me. Especially with the space aliens theme, with their Come on Down Day and all the town celebrations of an infamous brother and sister pair who tour sharing their alien encounter story. 

I also loved the characters names. We have MJ Crook and Nick Lawless, of the newly formed Crook and Lawless Detective Agency. How adorable! The story begins with the theft of a meteorite from the museum, and poor forgetful Mimi being the prime suspect of the theft. MJ and Nick set off to prove it wasn't her, running into road blocks from Adults, as kids always seem to do.

MJ's dad is the town Sheriff, and I didn't like him at first. He seemed way too strict - arresting his own mother! But it made sense in the end, so many secrets being held between the grown ups. I'm a grown up now and I remember hating the trope of parents keeping secrets. There should be no secrets, it's safer for everyone that way. When parents keep secrets it teaches kids to keep secrets and could put them in danger. Anyway off my soap box and back to the story.

While it was Nick and MJ who finally figured out who the true thief was, I'm not sure they would have if someone else didn't tell the truth first. There were some deeply held lies and repeated stories going on. Can't trust anyone these days sheesh. 

I also liked how this book introduces Dementia in a gentle way and shows how the entire family rallies around Mimi. What a great lesson for kids to understand and relate to if someone in their lives is showing forgetful signs. 

One more thing to add - I really liked the illustrations at the beginning of the chapters. They kind of give you a hint who the main players in that chapter will be.

A fun read, I would recommend it to kids who enjoy kid detectives and believe in - or want to believe in - space aliens.