Space detectives by Mark Powers. Illus. by Dapo Adeola

Floating above Earth is the encapsulated space city of Starville. This amazing space station is home to a variety of famous celebrities and wealthy citizens.

Connor and Ethan are spending their summer holidays on Starville, selling ice creams and waiting to solve crimes and mysteries. Edwina Snoddy is the daughter of Starville’s supreme governor and during a mishap at the ice cream stall the two boys are invited by Edwina to a special function for the governor. It is during the function that disaster strikes, a mysterious computer virus affects Starville’s orbit and the whole space city is on track to being destroyed! Ethan and Connor are the space detectives but can they save the space station from crashing into the moon?

This is a fun space story with alien creatures, inventions and interesting plot twists. Readers will enjoy the wacky space creatures, such as the “Tufted Grotsnobbler” who features throughout the story.

A vibrant front cover and black and white illustrations throughout the book add to its appeal.

Mark Powers has written other fun stories such as the “Spy Toys” series and a fantasy series called “Drafted.” This is the first fiction series Dapo Adeloa has illustrated and he is the co-creator of a picture book called “Look Up”. Both author and illustrator live in England.

An amusing book for students 7 to 11 years old. A short book trailer is available here.

Themes: Space stations, Holidays, Detectives.

Jane Moore