Newbery Honor Book
âA captivating story about familyâs enduring bonds.â âPublishers Weekly (starred review)
âAnother wondrous title from a remarkably talented author.â âBooklist (starred review)
âA 10 out of 10. Anyone interested in science, sibling relationships, and friendships will enjoy reading We Dream of Space.â âTime for Kids
Newbery Medalist and New York Timesâbestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly transports readers to 1986 and introduces them to the unforgettable Cash, Fitch, and Bird Thomas in this pitch-perfect middle grade novel about family, friendship, science, and exploration. A great choice for readers of Kate DiCamillo, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Rebecca Stead.
Great for summer reading or anytime! A Today show pick for â25 childrenâs books your kids and teens wonât be able to put down this summer!""
Cash, Fitch, and Bird Thomas are three siblings in seventh grade together in Park, Delaware. In 1986, as the country waits expectantly for the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, they each struggle with their own personal anxieties.
Cash, who loves basketball but has a newly broken wrist, is in danger of failing seventh grade for the second time. Fitch spends every afternoon playing Major Havoc at the arcade on Main and wrestles with an explosive temper that he doesnât understand. And Bird, his twelve-year-old twin, dreams of being NASAâs first female shuttle commander, but feels like sheâs disappearing.
The Thomas children exist in their own orbits, circling a tense and unpredictable household, with little in common except an enthusiastic science teacher named Ms. Salonga. As the launch of the Challenger approaches, Ms. Salonga gives her students a projectâthey are separated into spacecraft crews and must create and complete a mission. When the fated day finally arrives, it changes all of their lives and brings them together in unexpected ways.
Told in three alternating points of view, We Dream of Space is an unforgettable and thematically rich novel for middle grade readers.