Today is my stop on the blog tour for Space Detectives by Mark Powers. This is a brilliant middle-grade novel that follows best friends Ethan and Connor, who are trying to stop the space station they are on from crashing into the moon! For my stop, I thought I’d share my opinions on the book.
Something I loved about this book was how easy it was to read. I’m usually pretty easily distracted, so I was surprised I managed to read the whole book in one sitting. The font and spacing made it super easy to read and I loved how the font changed to indicate sound effects or signs. I loved the illustrations and thought they really helped to tell the story and give a visual for all the different weird and wonderful aliens. I particularly adored when the pages became black when the boys got thrown out into space, as it really helped with the visualization of floating through space.
The plot was fast paced and interesting, but it was also simple and easy to follow, which I thought was perfect for the age range it’s aimed at. Despite seeming like a Sci-Fi story, there was also a mystery element when the boys discover that the space station hurtling towards the moon is no accident, and someone had actually sent it on this course on purpose. I loved how we had a list of suspects that were slowly narrowed down. It wasn’t obvious who was behind it all at first, so I loved how we went on an adventure with the boys to learn who the real culprit was. I honestly had no idea who was behind it all until right before everything was revealed!
The characters in the book were interesting and I especially loved all the different aliens! The tufted grotsnobbler was probably my favourite, a huge purple creature wearing a cowboy hat. I also loved the snarltoothed grizloid, an enormous furry dragon-like creature who could breathe fire. I adored the silly names of these creatures and they reminded me a little of what you would find in a Roald Dahl book.
I did feel as if the book could have been a little more educational, as although I loved the sillyness, I felt that it could have thrown in some facts about space instead of having everything completely fictional. The book seemed to be aimed at the younger age range of middle grade, so I thought it was a missed opportunity to have a few fun facts thrown in.
Overall this was a fun and quick read that I really enjoyed! As this seems to be the first book in a series I’m looking forward to seeing what adventures Connor and Ethan have in the future. I think this is the perfect story for children who are just starting to read chapter books.
Space Detectives is now available to purchase!
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