The Star of Moon Village

by Jennifer Ann Richter

Even in outer space there are frenemies.

Priscilla Cobb has spent her whole life dreaming of space. The underground scientific labs on the Moon are the stuff of legend. So when an international student research voyage to the Moon is announced, Priscilla trains day in and day out.

But as Priscilla discovers, research will not be the priority of the trip. In fact, the whole trip starts to feel like a vacation for the ultrarich and famous. And when a surprise secret guest is revealed, someone Priscilla hoped to never cross paths with again, Priscilla decides enough is enough. It’s time for science to fight back.

Combining classic middle school growing pains with a near-future space setting, The Star of Moon Village is a smart and empathetic read perfect for fans of Stacy McAnulty’s The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Space, Stem

272 pages, Hardcover

Published January 27, 2026

Reviews

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)]

A middle grade story about a curious young girl who goes to the moon and learns some lessons about people and friendship! Priscilla has always dreamed of going to space, and now she will be the youngest kid to ever visit a colony on the moon, along with her dad. She can't wait to dive into all of the science! But when she discovers that a famous pop star from her home town who once snubbed her will also be there stealing the limelight, she's annoyed to say the least.

This definitely reads on the younger side of middle grade and while it's set on a trip to the moon, the emphasis is much more on interpersonal relationships and conflict as Priscilla has to learn and grow. I love seeing a story centering a young Black girl who is into science! The audio narration is good and fits the very young vibe of the story. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Priscilla Cobb of Walnut Grove, PA is very excited to be chosen to travel to Moon Village in 2079, especially since her late mother was a participant in the program when it first started. Her father is going along as an adult supervisor and focus group member opining on the tourist portion of the project. While she's sad to leave behind her best friend Doria, grandma Nin and Gram Nicole (who is almost 100), she excited to live in space and also to show off her newest invention, a robot that can create complicated hairstyles, inspired by her uncle's work as a hairdresser. While Priscilla is glad to connect with fellow student Hoshiko, she is dismayed that famous actor Orion Prett and dancer/singer/acrobat Starletta, also from Walnut Grove, are attending the school program but also planning a concert. Priscilla had an unpleasant interaction back home with Starletta, and doesn't like the emphasis on entertainment that is taking away from the scientific aspect of Moon Village. Priscilla is excited to be assigned to a horticulture and botany unit, and is eager to learn about growing plants and fungus in space. Life in on the moon is very different, and Priscilla is eager to experience it all, even when a walk to a lunar crater ends with Starletta and Priscilla plummeting to the bottom of the crater and needing to be saved. As the preparation for the concert ramps up, Priscilla asks the head of the interns, Dr. Petrova, if she agrees with the emphasis on tourism, and what the group might be able to do to protest it. The two decide that sabotage is a bad idea, but agree that well placed signs stating "Keep the science going", and consistent comments by everyone interviewed by Earth media underlining the importance of the science missions, will be helpful. Priscilla has an altercation with Starletta that gets her kicked out of dancing at the concert, but the two eventually talk and make amends. After a key staffer becomes I'll right before the concert, Priscilla's hair styling robot saves the day by doing Starletta's hair, and Starletta makes a public announcement that learning and discovering should take precendence over tourism.
Strengths: Books depicting girls with an interest in STEM always go right to the top of my list, and I loved that Priscilla was interestested in horticulture and mycoculture. Even though I live in Ohio, I have more students interested in marine biology than agronomy, and that's a shame! Food science is an interesting field. We get just enough of a glimpse of Priscilla's life at home before taking off into space, and the details about preparing for the journey are great. When the tourism aspect was first introduced, with the fancy resort and boutique shops, I had an immediate visceral dislike of it, so was glad to see that Priscilla chose to fight against it. The drama with Starletta will appeal to tweens on a lot of levels, especially when the two tumble into the lunar crater! This had a lot to recommend it, and is a necessary purchase for middle school libraries.

I've read too much middle grade speculative fiction, so kept waiting for something terrible to happen. You know, all the parents get blown up in a space shuttle and Priscilla has to work with Earth to get the kids back. The village looses power. Space aliens wanting a vacation invade the resort. I'm always asking for upbeat novels, and this was really perfect in that regard, just surprising considering the gloom and doom speculative fiction already out there. The biggest problems were the tiff with Starletta, and frenemy drama is always a hit with my readers. Can't argue at all with the idea that the village should be dedicated to science rather than tourism.

Weaknesses: Somehow, I had trouble connecting to this book, but I think I'm going to have to blame this on my current bad mood rather than any faults with the writing. Priscilla also mentions her deceased mother quite a lot, which doesn't really add to the plot and is just one of my least favorite tropes in middle grade literature, recently eclipsing even talking animals. I rarely reread books, but I may pick this up again when I get a library copy. If I still have a job after the November 2025 election. (Hence, bad mood.)

What I really think: Why does the blurb compares this to Stacy McAnulty’s The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl? The two books are not similar at all! While most similar to Danziger's 1986 This Place Has No Atmosphere, it also reminded me of Holm's The Lion of Mars, Gibbs' Moon Base Alpha, Anderson's Stowaway, King's The Incredible Space Raiders From Space, or other middle grade speculative fiction novels that showcase living in space. I did very much like that this concentrated on being on the moon rather than traveling around space, and appreciated that it was mostly upbeat. I'm definitely purchasing this, and love the cover.

[mary rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you to holiday house, netgalley, and the author for providing me an e-arc in exchange for my review! i guess i’m just not ready to be done reading middle grade novels yet, or the idea of this sci-fi that’s more grounded in reality seemed too interesting to pass up. while there is some focus on the science (the author’s note mentions that much of what’s in the story is based on real science, which is awesome), particularly when it comes to how funding matters, where it comes from, and how capitalism can make scientific progress harder, the story’s main focus is on priscilla’s internal and external conflicts having to do with the celebrity elements of the trip. she holds a mean grudge against pop star and fellow moon visitor starletta, which i can respect. obviously, reading this as an adult means that this subplot feels a bit less serious than the one about tourism and celebrity culture overtaking the real research agenda on the moon, but both were still enjoyable and valuable. the reconciliation between priscilla and starletta felt a bit sudden and short, but i also think that it demonstrated the importance of talking it out in situations where that feels awkward. on the whole, this was a fun middle grade novel that feels very relevant despite its futuristic setting, and if it sounds interesting, you can read it now!

this review is also available on instagram here!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Priscilla Cobb has always dreamed of space. She longs to be a lunar scientist and travel to the moon like her mother, who died with Priscilla was only 7. Now 12-years-old, Priscilla gets the chance to travel to the moon as part of a group of international student researchers. She's disappointed when she gets there and discovers that her time won't only be science focused, as the Moon Village is trying to push tourism over research to people back on earth. Even worse, the surprise appearance of Starletta - a teen pop sensation who Priscilla had a past encounter with - is making the whole trip less and less about the Moon Village scientists.

Though there are lots of sci-fi elements in this book, it is really more of a tween girl drama set in the future in space. I think the cover is going to push a lot of the target readers away from this book, which is really too bad because this is a cute little book about friendship and honesty, with a STEM girlie as the main character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for the advance copy of this book!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh, I wish I could go to Moon Village. To kick up moondust, hoverscoot through tunnels. To eat pasta with “Solar Flare Sauce,” whatever that is. Apparently, backflipping off boulders isn’t practical... But since I'm terrible with hair, I would sure appreciate a hair-styling robot.

I enjoyed reading about Priscilla’s adventures and her love for the scientific laboratories on the moon that are threatened by tourism and other money-making ventures. Now that science is under threat, books like this are important. We need to celebrate how important and cool science is.

I also loved how the author subverted certain middle-grade tropes to show how even “mean people” might be more complex than they first appear. I hope there will be a sequel!

[H. Woodward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a perfect book for middle grade students, the protagonist is 12. I’d guess students between ages 10-12 will enjoy this. Priscilla is on the adventure of a lifetime, spending a week on the Moon! Priscilla is surprised that a music super star, seems to be overshadowing the cool internships everyone is supposed to be learning from. Kids will love the awesome futuristic technology along with Priscilla’s adventures while living in Moon Village. Of course, Priscilla has some learning to do, about herself and others.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this as much as the author's debut but it was still an interesting middle grade book about a Black girl who goes to the moon. If you like sci-fi/speculative fiction and stories about young girls interested in STEM fields, this might be up your alley. Good on audio and recommended for fans of books like A rover's story by Jasmine Warga. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

I flew through The Star of Moon Village and instantly loved Priscilla’s no-nonsense, science-first attitude. Space travel, underground moon labs, and rich-people nonsense? Yes, please. Watching her push back against privilege, expectations, and an old frenemy made this one feel smart, funny, and quietly empowering. Science does fight back, and I was cheering the whole time.

[Danielle Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Emily Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good. I on this book off of Goodreads. It is a
Good book for those that are middle grade.

[Charleigh Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing voice and plot!

[Hone]

(Review copy courtesy of RBmedia, Jennifer Ann Richter, and NetGalley.)