BALLOON GIRLS

What’s a cool enough science project to win a tween in Australia a trip all the way to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.?

Ally is bound and determined to win a national contest for year seven kids to show they understand the scientific method. First prize is a visit to the United States to visit museums she’s always wanted to see. With the help of her best friends, Harmony and Ping, Ally comes up with the coolest idea: prove the Earth is spherical. After all, as her dad tells her, “it’s easy to laugh at conspiracy theorists. The important thing is to prove it to yourself.” It’s trickier than the three girls expect to do their experiment. They have to deal with racist and fatphobic bullying, a devastating fire, and even just the science-confounding effects of weather and water. But each setback is a learning experience, and the girls improve their experimental design with each iteration. The bullies are over-the-top comically dunderheaded rather than frightening (going along with the misinformation-debunking theme, their science project is a lazy attempt to prove one of the most ridiculous real-world conspiracies). Educational content is mixed with light humor and a random-but-entertaining mystery. Except for Ping and science teacher Miss Kapoor, all characters appear to be White.

A little bit mystery and suspense, a little bit fun science-fair nerdery.