THE STAR OF MOON VILLAGE

A 12-year-old girl takes a journey beyond the stars to test her limits but finds challenges to her perceptions of herself and others.

Priscilla Cobb, a budding botanist and space science enthusiast, is the youngest person chosen to be on the North American Space Alliance’s first trip to the moon for students with exceptional talents. She’ll be traveling with her father (who got into the adult focus group) and Hoshiko, a new friend from the trials in Houston, who’s a brilliant musician from Canada. Priscilla’s excitement over the trip is dimmed when the VIP celebrity guest turns out to be Starletta, a teen pop star from Priscilla’s hometown. Priscilla, who hopes to impress the Moon Village scientists and pave the way for her future career, fears that Starletta’s presence will become a distracting, “glittery mess”—and it seems as if her fears are coming true. But she remains determined to highlight the science and research aspects of Moon Village that are important to her. Priscilla and Starletta’s frenemy relationship arc feels incomplete, and the resolution happens too quickly. But the imaginative descriptions of space travel and technology hold real appeal for readers and will connect them with the story. Priscilla is cued Black, and names and physical descriptions point to broad ethnic diversity in the supporting cast.

Strong worldbuilding and a STEM focus allow readers to imagine a world beyond their own.