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The Starlight Rebel
A sci-fi adventure full of heart - perfect for fans of Ross Welford!
Longlisted for the James Reckitt Hull Children's Book Award 2026
In the future, the most underestimated person on the planet may be the only one who can save it.
The year is 3897, and life on Earth is a neon dream, all flashing lights and buzzy noise – and no one remembers that behind the illuminated shell above them there's a night sky filled with stars.
As she turns 11, neurodivergent, freckled Astrifer Nova is nothing like her sporty, high-achieving twin brother, Blaze. And on the day of her Work Path Allocation ceremony which determines the course of her life, she is crushed when she gets assigned to something as boring as the sock factory.
But all is not as it seems, and as she uncovers layers of hidden truths all around her, Astrifer discovers that the world is bigger than she ever imagined – and that it’s up to her and a motley crew of new friends (including one from very far away) to challenge the status quo. Turns out, their differences may be exactly what the planet needs…
Longlisted for the James Reckitt Hull Children's Book Award 2026
In the future, the most underestimated person on the planet may be the only one who can save it.
The year is 3897, and life on Earth is a neon dream, all flashing lights and buzzy noise – and no one remembers that behind the illuminated shell above them there's a night sky filled with stars.
As she turns 11, neurodivergent, freckled Astrifer Nova is nothing like her sporty, high-achieving twin brother, Blaze. And on the day of her Work Path Allocation ceremony which determines the course of her life, she is crushed when she gets assigned to something as boring as the sock factory.
But all is not as it seems, and as she uncovers layers of hidden truths all around her, Astrifer discovers that the world is bigger than she ever imagined – and that it’s up to her and a motley crew of new friends (including one from very far away) to challenge the status quo. Turns out, their differences may be exactly what the planet needs…
- GenresChildrens
336 pages, Paperback
Published February 10, 2026
4 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 11, 2025
“Freckled and neurodivergent” Astrifer Nova lives in the future – “The year is 3897” – where the world is very different to today’s world with “skyscrapers that dominated the streets, squashed together to make the most of every centimetre of space. Luminous travellator walkways hundreds of floors up linked buildings. Cars beeped and crawled slowly across the skyways in the gridlocked city, and hologram billboards blared out adverts for the latest dronebots and new Sky Malls… The buildings and the sky above bathed them both in a fluorescent glow. The one thing they couldn’t see were the stars.” The reason they can’t see the stars – “I wish we could witness them. Against a real night sky, not this artificial glow. Even if it wasn’t for the shell, all this befuddling light pollution would make those wonderous gaseous giants nigh on impossible to see” – is because of a secret Government-installed shell that protects the Earth from the outside whilst they drain the rest of the galaxy’s resources.
In this world Astrifer is ostracised and banished to work in the sock factory at her Work-path Allocation Ceremony. “The Sock Factory? Industrial District? What?! It was worse than anything I had feared. I shuddered at the thought of all that noise, trapped in a stinky hot, clanky building. I didn’t think anyone still worked there – surely it was all automated?”
But from there she meets people like her, those who “don’t fit the [world-ruling] Neon Government’s ideal look”. “People like [leader of the world] President Attack think that people like us can’t do anything of merit, can’t achieve anything, so they hide us away. But we can and do achieve, quietly, without fanfare, often with help and doing things in unexpected ways. Ways that work for our bodies and brains, not ways that have been forced upon us by a world that’s been taught to overlook and neglect us but to actively fear and hate us.” From there she is thrust into a position where she must raise an army to save the world and the galaxy beyond. Can she, someone who finds certain situations hurt her brain, do it?
This is a good story with a good hero, aka the Starlight Rebel, who overcomes many obstacles to succeed. 5-stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
In this world Astrifer is ostracised and banished to work in the sock factory at her Work-path Allocation Ceremony. “The Sock Factory? Industrial District? What?! It was worse than anything I had feared. I shuddered at the thought of all that noise, trapped in a stinky hot, clanky building. I didn’t think anyone still worked there – surely it was all automated?”
But from there she meets people like her, those who “don’t fit the [world-ruling] Neon Government’s ideal look”. “People like [leader of the world] President Attack think that people like us can’t do anything of merit, can’t achieve anything, so they hide us away. But we can and do achieve, quietly, without fanfare, often with help and doing things in unexpected ways. Ways that work for our bodies and brains, not ways that have been forced upon us by a world that’s been taught to overlook and neglect us but to actively fear and hate us.” From there she is thrust into a position where she must raise an army to save the world and the galaxy beyond. Can she, someone who finds certain situations hurt her brain, do it?
This is a good story with a good hero, aka the Starlight Rebel, who overcomes many obstacles to succeed. 5-stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 20, 2025
Young part-dystopic sci-fi fantasy story about celebrating difference and being brave.
In a far-off future where humans live under a shell, are assigned their futures as 11-year-olds and have tech we could only dream of, twin Astifer is nervous about the day her own future is to be decided. Already different, she knows she is unlike other people in how she seems to experience the world, but as well as that, her freckles make her stand out and not in a good way. Difference is not tolerated.
Disappointed with her given assignment and future prospects where her brother seems set on a future as an ahtlete and with her best friend banned from seeing her by her President father, Astrifer feels alone and abandoned. Until she starts at her new placement and finds its not at all the boring and hopeless place she'd thought. And neither are the people in it... they are all like her!
The starting point for this exposition-heavy story brings a new world to life, it was great settling into Astrifer's world, kids will love the descriptions of all the technology advances and also slowly realise that they aren't all positive, that the population are being controlled and manipulated. And that the missing sky, covered by a shell, is actually a dangerous thing, and for more than just the residents of Earth.
Lots of colourful characters make appearances, I would have liked to see what some look like in real life as well as the world of 3897. There's an eco-twist to the core of the story as well as Astrifer's obvious neurodivergent storyline. There's the thread about trusting friends and family and the loyalties these inspire. There are aliens and a rebellion plot as well, and touches of Minority Report and even The Man Who Fell to Earth (kids will of course not see any parallels/connections, that's me as 45 year old noticing).
I enjoyed this, a great creation of a society, not so subtle in its messages, and the characters speak and act far older than their 11 years at times, but a fun story and I was excited to see the conclusion.
With thanks to the publisher for providing a sample reading copy through the Amazon Vine programme.
In a far-off future where humans live under a shell, are assigned their futures as 11-year-olds and have tech we could only dream of, twin Astifer is nervous about the day her own future is to be decided. Already different, she knows she is unlike other people in how she seems to experience the world, but as well as that, her freckles make her stand out and not in a good way. Difference is not tolerated.
Disappointed with her given assignment and future prospects where her brother seems set on a future as an ahtlete and with her best friend banned from seeing her by her President father, Astrifer feels alone and abandoned. Until she starts at her new placement and finds its not at all the boring and hopeless place she'd thought. And neither are the people in it... they are all like her!
The starting point for this exposition-heavy story brings a new world to life, it was great settling into Astrifer's world, kids will love the descriptions of all the technology advances and also slowly realise that they aren't all positive, that the population are being controlled and manipulated. And that the missing sky, covered by a shell, is actually a dangerous thing, and for more than just the residents of Earth.
Lots of colourful characters make appearances, I would have liked to see what some look like in real life as well as the world of 3897. There's an eco-twist to the core of the story as well as Astrifer's obvious neurodivergent storyline. There's the thread about trusting friends and family and the loyalties these inspire. There are aliens and a rebellion plot as well, and touches of Minority Report and even The Man Who Fell to Earth (kids will of course not see any parallels/connections, that's me as 45 year old noticing).
I enjoyed this, a great creation of a society, not so subtle in its messages, and the characters speak and act far older than their 11 years at times, but a fun story and I was excited to see the conclusion.
With thanks to the publisher for providing a sample reading copy through the Amazon Vine programme.
August 11, 2025
Gosh I adored this. It’s such a glorious exploration of neurodiversity and all that is brilliant about it - special interests, finding your crew and accepting people exactly for who they are. Astrifer is SUCH a gorgeous main character. I love her people. There’s so much in this that made me cry. I felt very seen in this. Gosh. Yes.
November 28, 2025
I love this book. I am already a champion of neurodivergent heroes and this one was awesome! It’s set in a world far in the future but feels very much like our own especially now. So to read of a girl who is different and neurodivergent like me stand up to the big bad, power hungry government, it felt so empowering.
April 9, 2026
It was ambitious,brilliant,creative,diverse,excellent,fantastic,gorgeous,heartwarming,inspiring,just magnificent,kind,love filled, moving,nifty,outstanding,personal,quirky,really thought out,super,terrific,unique,vibrant,wonderful, xylophonic, youthful,zero complaints!! Love Lisette’s work!!! 💓💓🫶🏻🫶🏻
August 2, 2025
Great fun. Charming characters kids will love. Astrifer is a sensational underestimated heroine. Loved her neurudiverive head. Full of harm and opi the alien.....oh my. Gorgeous rebellious story.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews