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The Star of Moon Village
Not yet published
Expected 27 Jan 26Win a free print copy of this book!
27 days and 07:23:05
10 copies available
U.S. only
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
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
272 pages, Paperback
Expected publication January 27, 2026
2 people are currently reading
720 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 23, 2025
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.
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.
November 17, 2025
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.
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