Eyes on the Sky

by J. Kasper Kramer

From acclaimed author J. Kasper Kramer comes a historical middle grade novel about a budding young scientist in 1947 Roswell, New Mexico, who fears her weather balloon experiment has been mistaken for a flying saucer!Nothing ever happens in Roswell, New Mexico. Dorothy should know. She’s lived her whole life on a rural ranch nearby, surrounded by the difficult memories from her family’s struggles to make ends meet during the Great Depression years ago. At least her older brother Dwight is home safe from the war. Unfortunately he’s no better to talk to than her ancient pet sheep, Geraldine. Thankfully Dorothy has her experiments, like launching rockets off the top of her windmill. But one stormy night, she sends a gigantic weather balloon into the stratosphere—and an incredible blast lights up the sky. Suddenly, all the newspapers feature a flying saucer crash in their headlines and the sleepy town of Roswell is alight with gossip and speculation. But what if the so-called extraterrestrial vessel is actually Dorothy’s weather balloon? When FBI agents start asking questions, she begins to suspect that there’s something out there, something dangerous. Either the government is after her for causing a national scandal…or aliens are real!

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 8, 2024

Reviews

[Bethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Dorothy’s weather balloon science research explodes during a storm, perhaps causing a fiery crash that the Roswell Army Air Force discovers as a potential flying saucer. Lots of great family drama, new friendship connection, WWII history, and little green men! Hard to put down MG sci fi/historical fiction. Especially fun if you’ve been to Roswell, NM. Love the ending! Informative author note. Excellent, yet sad reason for the aliens to come to Roswell.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico, and Dorothy witnesses a UFO crash with her own eyes-- and she's worried her weather balloon experiment is the cause of it. Eyes on the Sky is a thoughtful story on grief, family, and wonder at what lies (or flies) beyond our understanding.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothy and her brother are scraping by on their ranch near Corona, New Mexico (and somewhat near the bigger Roswell nearby). It’s been just the two of them since their dad died and Dwight got called back from service in WWII to take care of her. It feels like time froze in the house then, they’ve been afraid to touch their parents’ things, Dwight hasn’t seemed the same, so Dorothy deals with it by doing experiments…with things that go boom and launch. Rockets fascinate her. Her latest brilliant idea is to fill a weather balloon she rescued from the desert with hydrogen gas she made herself. It flies beautifully, but then lightning hits and something crashes in the desert. Did she make one of the experimental aircraft from the local army base crash? She’s going to be in so much trouble unless she can recover her balloon! She finds an unlikely ally in Hugo Martinez, their paperboy and a classmate. Hugo’s family needs money so he wants to get a picture of the crash a magazine has promised big money for (since it is rumored the crash was aliens). He’s willing to help Dorothy recover her balloon parts if he can snap a cash-worthy photo. But both of them find more than they expected in the desert, and they learn some things about themselves along the way.

I thought this was going to be purely historical fiction, but there is a bit of science fiction woven in. The historical research is still quite impressive, and Kramer does an excellent job of bringing post-WWII New Mexico to life for readers. Dwight and Dorothy’s mother died just a bit before their dad, she struggled with depression for years and it isn’t clear if she succumbed to that or a disease, but either way they were grieving her already when their dad died in an accident and it kind of paralyzed them. Both have things they feel they can’t speak about, and the events in the desert force them to finally get those things out. Because Dwight is a young man trying to make ends meet, he’s away a lot of the time working or trying to find work so Dorothy has a lot of time to herself. She’s a bit of a loner at school, so Hugo’s branch of friendship is quite shocking to her. Hugo has a big, loving Hispanic family just making it by. They don’t have electricity or some other modern conveniences (which will shock modern readers, but probably wasn’t too uncommon in the late 1940s in rural communities). Hugo and Dorothy are good for each other in the friendship realm even if they do get each other into some wild misadventures. The scifi parts of the story were done in a unique way and highlighted that communicating first rather than shooting first is so much better because you never know someone’s motives until you really know their motives. I recommend reading this along with Fleming’s nonfiction book on the Roswelll incident Crash from Outer Space to balance the fictional account with an excellent nonfiction account.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: As mentioned before, both Dorothy’s parents died not too long ago: one of illness/depression and the other from an accident on the farm. Deaths in the war are mentioned, the Red Scare is looming and Dwight really senses it coming. There’s some peril from heat/sun exposure, security forces shooting at trespassers, explosives, and…other things. Aftereffects of nuclear testing are talked about since the test zone isn’t too far from them and they remember the first nuclear tests.
Ethnic diversity: Dorothy is white American. Hugo is Hispanic American. Dorothy loves the petroglyphs nearby and talks about respecting the local Native Peoples.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Dorothy does some rather risky things and has a stubborn independent streak (which is understandable in a child who has spent a lot of time on her own taking care of household chores). Grief is a big theme of the book.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author J Kasper Kramer debuted in the world of middle grade fiction with The Story That Cannot Be Told set in Communist Romania in 1989, The List of Unspeakable Fears was set during the time of Typhoid Mary and the quarantining of people with tuberculosis, typhoid and other contagious diseases. This 3rd historical fiction dives into the legends and lore surrounding Roswell and the possibly UFO sightings and crashes just after World War II and the financial devastation of the Depression and Dust Bowl. Dorothy is a brilliant 12 year who excels at rocketry and getting into trouble as she investigates the concepts of propulsion and explosion in a very hands-on way. Both parents have died and her older brother Dwight was called back from duty in the Air Force overseas to take charge of his headstrong sister. When Dorothy launches a repurposed weather balloon and it explodes, possibly causing a second blast and maybe even the destruction of some sort of aircraft, the search is on for wreckage of both items and an investigation into whatever secret the Roswell Army Air Force is trying to cover up. Teaming up with a classmate, Dorothy and Hugo (and sometimes Dwight) are chased across the desert, interrogated, discover other-worldly metal and plants, set off a few other explosions, deal with break-ins and come face to face with shape-shifting aliens. Plenty of references to the hardships suffered by farmers during the Dust Bowl period and a mixture of all the facts and legends that swirl around the area of Roswell.

Setting the stage and establishing characters takes a little longer than some readers will be willing to give, but those who hang in there won’t be disappointed. Great story full of all sorts of chase scenes, mystery, a bit of fact, and plenty of military and family secrets. Would pair nicely with Casey Lyall’s Gnome is Where the Heart Is.

Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence except that of nature. Target age is likely grades 4-7.

Thanks for the print arc, J Kasper Kramer and Atheneum books/Simon & Schuster for Young Readers.

[Chris Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this as a Christmas present from my uncle who knows the Author, even got it signed. Her writing style flows really well in the chapters and it makes a really good fast read being only 240 pages. If you're someone that's interested with the supernatural or existence of extraterrestrial life then this is the book for you. It's beautiful to see how the plot unfolds at the end and everything starts to make sense

[LS Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids love science fiction books that include aliens. The questioning and suspense builds - was that caused by an alien? were those spaceships? or are all the logical explanations true? This book will appeal to the reader who really wants there to have been aliens at Roswell (and now). Thoroughly enjoyable!

[Jennifer Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is historical fiction and science-fiction, set in 1947 at the site of the Roswell crash, and has strong themes of family and friendship. And flying saucers! A fun, sometimes suspenseful, read perfect for middle-grade readers age 9 and up who are interested in UFO's and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

[Heidi M (Have You Seen My Coffee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ Great middle grade historical Sci-fi based on the Roswell crash. Fabulous Girl in STEM and the story includes some tough to navigate topics, in a tween appropriate way, that we all have to tackle, lest we repeat history … Good on audio and I found the author’s note a nice addition that could facilitate further discussion.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pulls you in and captivates your mind! A MUST READ!

[Erica Tuggle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect blend of historical and supernatural. Beautiful and engaging characters with vulnerabilities and lessons to share with all ages.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hope like that, even a sprinkle of it, is powerful. It's also dangerous, cause it can make you do stupid things."

[Natalie Haggard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner from J. Kasper Kramer!

[Deb Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute Halloween-ish book for Middle School age. I enjoyed it!

[Oliveeee :D · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not like this book. It was boring and at one point I just stopped reading it halfway through the book. None of the characters were very likable for me either.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothy and her brother Dwight reside in Roswell New Mexico. One night while Dorothy is launching a weather balloon she witnesses something extraordinary and unexplained. Soon enough FBI Agents show up and crazy things start happening around town. Dorothy is right in the thick of it, trying to convince everyone what she saw were aliens. But no one believes her, not even her brother. The scenes between Dorothy and her brother Dwight were probably my favorite.Some really great action sequences that will keep young readers engaged and in the edge of their seat.

Target age range: grades 4-7
Historical, mystery, sci-fi, action

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

[Dustin Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written prose with a keen eye for historical detail serve to elevate the otherworldly elements in this spooky story that even adults will enjoy.