Space Chasers: To the Moon

Space Chasers by Leland Melvin #2

by Leland Melvin, Joe Caramagna, Alison Acton (Illustrator)

Perfect for fans of Hilo!

Created by real-life astronaut Leland Melvin!

The action-packed space adventure continues!

The team of kids-turned-astronauts are back again and this time they are heading farther than any kid has traveled before…to the moon!

But ever since Steven got back from being injured and going through physical therapy, his friends are acting a little strange. They are extra courteous to him, almost tripping over themselves to help, and stuttering over the wrong words. They mean well but Steven just wants to be treated like a regular member of the team. Plus the moon is an unstable environment, and when moonquakes keep shaking things up, the lives of the entire team are danger. It’ll be up to the kids to trust each other’s wits, capabilities and strengths in order to get through the crisis and get each other home safely.

Crafted by the visionary minds of astronaut Leland Melvin, Joe Caramagna, and Alison Acton, dive into this riveting space odyssey, where the vastness of space tests the bounds of friendship and courage.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Science Fiction

208 pages, Hardcover

Published February 3, 2026

Reviews

[Sarah Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the first book on my tbr for a while and getting this one early finally got me to read it before reading this one. While I enjoyed the message, representation, and art style, I find myself not being able to look beyond the fact that they are sending children to space on dangerous missions in these graphic novels. I know, I know! Suspend my disbelief! But I just cannot with these books for some reason and that kept dragging me out of the story. These books are fun with valuable lessons, so I do think they deserve a spot on shelves in libraries of all kinds (including the classroom and home varieties). Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

[D.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the focus on Steven, the expectations others had for him, and his own in trying to prove himself, his parents’ different approaches to parenting him, and navigating space as a wheelchair user. Something about how snarky the mom was was rubbing me the wrong way. She felt a little ABW, but I guess she came around.

Overall, this was good.

[Vil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with this ARC.
This is a wonderful book. I loved the use of technical vocabulary that encourages children to learn and explore new concepts, and the illustrations are delightful, with great attention to detail and a pleasing color palette.
Most importantly, the message—or rather, the multiple messages—woven into this little book are truly heartwarming. I enjoyed it very much, and I know my space-obsessed child will love it too when it’s released.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book series because it’s such a fun and light read of smart kids doing things most people would say they aren’t old enough to do.

Funny story: I picked it up because I saw the dogs on the cover not remembering I had read the first book last year. When I realized I recognized the characters it was a pleasant surprise! There weren’t really any dogs though 😂 Clickbait? Maybe for dog lovers, but honestly a small price to pay for the excitement of digging up the next book in a much loved series!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Leland Melvin’s SPACE CHASERS: TO THE MOON, the STEAM Team crew returns for another out of this world adventure. This time, much of the action focuses on Steven, who is forced to rehab an injury he sustains while training and faces the possibility of missing the team’s mission to the moon. A wheelchair user due to cerebral palsy, Steven works diligently on regaining strength in his shoulder so he can rejoin the rest of the team before their flight to the moon. Once the team arrives, there are miscommunications and missteps, exacerbated by the close quarters and high stakes of the mission. When a moonquake puts the team in grave danger, Steven finds himself needing to use all his skills to manage the crisis and ensure that the team returns home safely.

Highlighting a different character in this installment of the series brings further development to the characters introduced in the first book, while still showing that it takes time and effort to work as a cohesive team. Focusing on Steven shows that a disability does not have to limit or define a person and affirms the importance of inclusive and accessible spaces. While readers definitely need to suspend belief while reading this story about kid astronauts, the high interest space theme and the tension of the mission keep the story engaging for fans of both friendship and adventure stories.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow, even less plausible than the first book. It's one thing to send kids into orbit, yet another to send them to the moon. This book most heavily concentrates on Steven, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. I liked how the narrative shows different people trying to advocate for Steven, and sometimes failing with the best of intentions. His mother is overbearing and tries to erase obstacles, his friends try to help in the ways they would want to help, not in the ways he needs or wants to be helped. That's well worth reading, and so is the subplot about Steven's divorced parents learning how to get along for once. The bullying storyline is a little underbaked in relation, though.

[AMJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading this to my 6-year-old son. His favorite aspects of the book were the illustrations and the setting (on the moon!). As a parent, I appreciate some of the themes like equal access for all abilities, valuing others, teamwork, and problem solving. I had never really thought about moonquakes before or heard of them, but that was an exciting situation to watch the team navigate. Does the moon actually have high levels of tectonic activity? I am not sure. Nonetheless, we really enjoyed the book. It was fun following Steven more closely in this book. We will definitely look forward to reading book 3 and hope it is released soon!

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you First Second and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This is a follow up to the Space Chasers series and it’s just as good as the first one was. Here, the adventure continues as the young astronauts explore and assist on the moon. This book focuses a lot on Steven as he ends up saving the day and the crew’s safe return home. I definitely recommend it and am looking forward to sharing it with my students while hoping for yet another volume.

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both installments in this series stretch the suspension of disbelief way too far. I wanted so much to enjoy these graphic novels especially after reading the first portion, the set up, which laid the groundwork for fantastic representation. Unfortunately, even given the hypothesis that the books are set in the not too distant future, believing that middle school age kids with basic training could navigate high tech spaceships completely on their own is too far to be believed.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Leland Melvin's Space Chasers books.... I'm not really a graphic novel reader (I've read a few, but it seems to be 50/50 for me). I'm retired aged... but still teaching middle school science. I am old enough to remember the Apollo program.... if the launch happened during the day, we stopped our school lesson and watched on the big cabinet tv mounted up in the front corner.

Yes, it is a bit absurd that middle school students would be sent by NASA on an actual flight, but the Starship Enterprise had families onboard... and this is Sci Fi/Fantasy. The students are all so engaging, and they have different strengths that complement one another. I stayed up way to late on two consecutive nights because it was so hard to put down.

I purchased this book at the Gaithersburg Book Fair, and got to meet Astronaut Melvin, and hear him speak. Book Leland is just as engaging as in person Leland... and my inner 12 year old was jumping up and down screaming 'I'M MEETING AN ASTRONAUT!!!!'

Apparently the team is going to Mars in the next year or two and I can't WAIT.

[Tina Stucky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series. I loved the first one, but this one fell short for me. Maybe a little too fantastical for me? I do however think that intermediate readers who love all things space will enjoy both books.

[Dark Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in the Space Chasers series - and they go to the moon. I enjoyed the illustrations, and my daughter who loves space really enjoyed the story.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

All abilities, sci fi space travel, kids doing smart things.