Stuart
Gibbs is one of my favourite authors of middle grade books. I really enjoy his
JUNGLE FUN mysteries as well as these MOON BASE ALPHA mysteries.
Description from
the Publisher
There’s
nowhere to hide on the world’s first moon base. After all, it’s only the size
of a soccer field. So when Nina Stack, the commander of Moon Base Alpha,
mysteriously vanishes, the Moonies are at a total loss.
Though
he may be just twelve years old, Dashiell Gibson is the best detective they’ve
got. But this confusing mystery pushes Dash to his limits. Especially since
Dash accidentally made contact with an alien and has to keep it a secret. With
the fate of the entire human race hanging in the balance, will Dash be able to
solve the mystery of the missing Moonie?
Spaced
Out: A Moon Base Alpha Novel was written by Stuart Gibbs and published by Simon
& Schuster Books for Young Readers in 2016.
Why you want to
read this book…
It’s a great mystery and a well-paced story
with lots of action as well as the usual middle grade problems with bullies. I really enjoyed all the details about living in space in the excerpts from The Official Residents'
Guide to Moon Base Alpha included with each chapter. I also loved all the unique elements that add to the fun of a story set in space. For example, you've probably never read a book before where a toilet is used for self-defense!
“Slopes
are difficult to navigate in low gravity, even when you’re not running for your
life.”
If you’re a
writer…
This is a great example of a middle grade
mystery with an interesting setting. I also thought the characters were
realistically portrayed, and there’s a lot of humor in the novel through the
main character’s voice in this first person narration.
“One
of the most unnerving things about having an alien beam herself into my brain
was how abruptly she could appear.”
If you’re a
teacher…
This
is a great option to offer students who might be a little reluctant to read for pleasure. If you're learning about space, students could look for details in this book about life
in space and do research to see if they can expand on them. A fun activity
would be to try to draw their own plan of how they envision the base based on
reading the book.
“Something
was definitely wrong with my suit. I was losing oxygen way too fast.”
Opening Line:
“If
I hadn’t made the mistake of showing Star Wars to an alien life form, I never
would have ended up fighting Patton Sjoberg with the space toilet.”
Other Info:
The
first book in the Moon Base Alpha series is Space Case. The next book in the
series Waste of Space, is schedule for publication in April 2018. Check out the new cover and description here (I can hardly wait for this one!)
Books
in the Fun Jungle series by Stuart Gibbs include Belly Up, Poached, Big Game
and Panda-monium.
Stuart Gibbs also writes the Spy School series, including
Spy School, Spy Camp, Evil Spy School, Spy Ski School. Spy School Secret
Service is coming in October 2017.
Sounds like a really fun book. And I've been into reading mysteries more. Thanks for featuring it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one too. In fact anything from Stuart Gibbs will for sure engage you in a great story.
ReplyDeleteI love Gibbs' super funny, throwaway lines. Just random things in the middle of a perfectly serious paragraph. He's hugely popular with my students!
ReplyDeleteSold! Just added it to my list. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMy older son, who doesn't read much fiction but loves space, really loves this series. I need to read them myself. The next one looks intriguing as well!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love Stuart Gibbs books~ they're so much fun and so well-paced!
ReplyDelete