Book Review – Space Detectives by Mark Powers and Dapo Adeola
Space Detectives by Mark Powers, illustrated by Dapo Adeola
Science Fiction | Middle Grade | 142 pages
Published on 4th February 2021 by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Synopsis
Dog lost in space? Grown an extra head and don’t know why? Pocket money stolen by a green blob? You need the Space Detectives!
Connor and Ethan are spending their summer holidays aboard the world’s first orbiting city, Starville (basically Beverley Hills in space!). The amazing space station is bursting with celebrities and the mega-rich. But Connor and Ethan are too busy selling ice cream to see the sights.
However, neither of our heroes can resist a mystery and when they discover the space station is hurtling on a collision course with the moon (eep!) they know they need to step in. This is a case for the SPACE DETECTIVES!
Can Connor and Ethan find the culprit and save Starville from its impending doom?
My rating:
Review
I received this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
This is a cute middle-grade read and, with a name like Space Detectives, I knew I had to try it.
Our leads and Connor and Ethan, two boys spending their summer in Starville. They mention being detectives at home and are on the lookout for a mystery while serving ice cream. They finally get a case when the space station announces it is on course to crash into the moon!
The art is fun and gorgeous, really adding to the tale. The story is a little younger than my normal middle grades, but definitely an entertaining read.
My only real quibble is about the science – I don’t expect it to be spot on, but there’s something impossible that I feel should have been changed to something more realistic. Any science-savvy kids could well spot it and be put off from what is an otherwise fun read. That said, I love the concept of the smart suit, and I really want one! That’s the fun sort of science 😉
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this to its target age range but feel it probably loses the broader appeal of the other middle-grades I read. 3 stars.
Buy Space Detectives by Mark Powers and Dapo from Waterstones.
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4 Comments
lauren
im glad you were still able to enjoy it even though it was younger than your usual reads 🙂
Ellie
Glad you enjoyed it! MG isn’t my thing, so I’ll have to pass on this. Sounds like a cute read for young readers though!
Kirsty
That’s a hame about the science, I think a lot of adults don’t give kids enough credit tbh
amyjanealice
This looks like a cute read, I definitely want to pick up more middle grade!