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Rayana Johnson's Giant Leap
Not yet published
Expected 21 Apr 26Rayana Johnson always thought that turning thirteen would mean being old enough to stay home alone, go on her first date, and attend Galaxy Camp, a sleepaway camp that’s all about her true passion—space exploration.
But instead of having a blast on flight simulators and multi-axis trainers or learning about what it takes to explore the stars, Ray’s mind is stuck on Earth, wondering why her parents are arguing, why her best friend isn’t acting like herself, and why her totally-crushworthy-counselor keeps treating her like a kid. And even worse,
puberty throws her the ultimate curveball—she has her first period.
In the span of just a few days, Ray’s gone from having total certainty in her universe to barely being able to count on anything—not her parents’ marriage, not Galaxy Camp, and not even her own body. Will she ever feel grounded again, or is the rest of her life destined to be as nebulous as the Milky Way?
But instead of having a blast on flight simulators and multi-axis trainers or learning about what it takes to explore the stars, Ray’s mind is stuck on Earth, wondering why her parents are arguing, why her best friend isn’t acting like herself, and why her totally-crushworthy-counselor keeps treating her like a kid. And even worse,
puberty throws her the ultimate curveball—she has her first period.
In the span of just a few days, Ray’s gone from having total certainty in her universe to barely being able to count on anything—not her parents’ marriage, not Galaxy Camp, and not even her own body. Will she ever feel grounded again, or is the rest of her life destined to be as nebulous as the Milky Way?
288 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 21, 2026
3 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Jill Tew
8 books213 followersJill Tew is the critically-acclaimed author of dystopian romance and middle grade novels that imagine Black girls in exciting new worlds. Her debut novel The Dividing Sky (2024) was a Top 10 Kids Indie Next Pick, and was selected by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Bookshop.org, and Reactor Magazine as one of the Best Young Adult Books of the Year. Her middle grade debut Kaya Morgan’s Crowning Achievement will be available in April 2025.
A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Jill lives in Atlanta with her family. She is also a co-host of the Afronauts Podcast, which provides writing tips and community for Black aspiring speculative fiction writers. When not writing, she can be found stress baking, gardening, or belting showtunes in the carpool line.
A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Jill lives in Atlanta with her family. She is also a co-host of the Afronauts Podcast, which provides writing tips and community for Black aspiring speculative fiction writers. When not writing, she can be found stress baking, gardening, or belting showtunes in the carpool line.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What a fun read! I loved Ray. Her anxiety, her lists, her passion for all things space. She was a wonderful main character! I loved the inclusion of Ray experiencing her first period and how she had to navigate that. And the teamwork element was great as well. I loved that Ray was able to learn that people aren't always what they seem and sometimes you just need to get to know someone a little better.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Rayanna is very excited to attend Galaxy Camp, but concerned about leaving her best friend, Kaya, whose father has recently passed away from cancer. Since Rayanna has very supportive parents in her mother, an accountant, and her father, a professor of paleobotany, she feels like she has to be extra attentive to her friend. She wants to be an astronautical engineer when she grows up, so she hopes the ten days at camp will help her. Rayanna struggles with anxiety, so over plans everything from her packing list to her reminders on her phone to check in with Kaya, so she's dismayed when the camp wants her to turn in her phone. Her cute counselor, Isaiah, allows her to keep the phone as long as she uses it wisely. The other campers in the Armstrong Crew include Fiona McCall, Lily Choi, and Michelle Whitaker. Rayanna would love to earn her own NASA bomber jacket, so she wants to do well in all of the competitions, and gets along with all of the girls. The boys, however, are a different matter, since Travis is not only a bit of a jerk, but wearing his older brother's jacket, which Rayanna thinks is not right. When Rayanna scans an unusually placed QR code with her phone, she gets drawn into a secret scavenger hunt, and she suspects Travis is working on it as well, which further annoys her. Camp does not go as Rayanna wants it to; she gets her period, her team loses several competitions, and Michelle is subjected to prejudice from the director of the school. Michelle is very helpful and supportive when it comes to Rayanna's period, which is especially helpful because Rayanna feels there's something odd going on with her parents when she talks to them. While she keeps in contact with Kaya, Kaya eventually gets annoyed with her friend's attempts to cheer her up when sometimes she just wants to be sad. The Armstrong Crew endures some team building exercises to help them work better together, and this helps quite a bit. Will Rayanna be able to get her jacket, make up with her best friend, figure out what's going on with her parents, and eventually find a boy who likes her?
Strengths: Rayanna is a typical thirteen year old who is anxious about a lot of things, deeply devoted to her best friend, and passionate about her interest in space. She is a good kid, but occasionally struggles with the camp rules, and is devastated when things don't go her way. I liked that there was a diverse group of kids who all had to learn to work together; there's a Travis in every group, isn't there? The story ARC concerning Rayanna's parents is very true to life. I was glad to see that Rayanna's anxiety eased up a little the more she got involved with activities. The cover is great and will immediately appeal to STEM oriented readers who have their own dreams of space (or supporting space missions from the ground, which I heartily endorse!).
Weaknesses: While it seems perfectly reasonable that Rayanna wants to find a boyfriend at camp, and even that she has a crush on Isaiah, it seemed odd that she would think about changing her last name. Aren't the days when girls would write out their names if they got married on their notebooks long past? The scavenger hunt was less exciting than I hoped it would be.
What I really think: I just realized that Kaya was the main character in Tew's Kaya Morgan's Crowning Achievement, which also involved a summer camp. Camps revolving around specialized interests seem more common than traditional outdoor summer camps, and space camp sounds really fun! This is a great book to hand to students who want a generally upbeat story, and certainly romance in books is having a bit of a comeback, at least in my library. I'm curious to see if there will be further adventures in Rayanna and Kaya's world.
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
Rayanna is very excited to attend Galaxy Camp, but concerned about leaving her best friend, Kaya, whose father has recently passed away from cancer. Since Rayanna has very supportive parents in her mother, an accountant, and her father, a professor of paleobotany, she feels like she has to be extra attentive to her friend. She wants to be an astronautical engineer when she grows up, so she hopes the ten days at camp will help her. Rayanna struggles with anxiety, so over plans everything from her packing list to her reminders on her phone to check in with Kaya, so she's dismayed when the camp wants her to turn in her phone. Her cute counselor, Isaiah, allows her to keep the phone as long as she uses it wisely. The other campers in the Armstrong Crew include Fiona McCall, Lily Choi, and Michelle Whitaker. Rayanna would love to earn her own NASA bomber jacket, so she wants to do well in all of the competitions, and gets along with all of the girls. The boys, however, are a different matter, since Travis is not only a bit of a jerk, but wearing his older brother's jacket, which Rayanna thinks is not right. When Rayanna scans an unusually placed QR code with her phone, she gets drawn into a secret scavenger hunt, and she suspects Travis is working on it as well, which further annoys her. Camp does not go as Rayanna wants it to; she gets her period, her team loses several competitions, and Michelle is subjected to prejudice from the director of the school. Michelle is very helpful and supportive when it comes to Rayanna's period, which is especially helpful because Rayanna feels there's something odd going on with her parents when she talks to them. While she keeps in contact with Kaya, Kaya eventually gets annoyed with her friend's attempts to cheer her up when sometimes she just wants to be sad. The Armstrong Crew endures some team building exercises to help them work better together, and this helps quite a bit. Will Rayanna be able to get her jacket, make up with her best friend, figure out what's going on with her parents, and eventually find a boy who likes her?
Strengths: Rayanna is a typical thirteen year old who is anxious about a lot of things, deeply devoted to her best friend, and passionate about her interest in space. She is a good kid, but occasionally struggles with the camp rules, and is devastated when things don't go her way. I liked that there was a diverse group of kids who all had to learn to work together; there's a Travis in every group, isn't there? The story ARC concerning Rayanna's parents is very true to life. I was glad to see that Rayanna's anxiety eased up a little the more she got involved with activities. The cover is great and will immediately appeal to STEM oriented readers who have their own dreams of space (or supporting space missions from the ground, which I heartily endorse!).
Weaknesses: While it seems perfectly reasonable that Rayanna wants to find a boyfriend at camp, and even that she has a crush on Isaiah, it seemed odd that she would think about changing her last name. Aren't the days when girls would write out their names if they got married on their notebooks long past? The scavenger hunt was less exciting than I hoped it would be.
What I really think: I just realized that Kaya was the main character in Tew's Kaya Morgan's Crowning Achievement, which also involved a summer camp. Camps revolving around specialized interests seem more common than traditional outdoor summer camps, and space camp sounds really fun! This is a great book to hand to students who want a generally upbeat story, and certainly romance in books is having a bit of a comeback, at least in my library. I'm curious to see if there will be further adventures in Rayanna and Kaya's world.
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
ARC read - What an absolutely adorable adventure that tween readers will find out of this world!! First, I'd like to establish my bona fides for writing this review - I watched Space Camp so many times on WPIX growing up that I legit thought I'd be able to pilot a shuttle back to earth as a teen because that seemed as much a possibility as having to deal with quicksand at the time. I also unironically drank Tang. So believe me when I say that Rayana Johnson's week at camp where she trains for an epic mission simulation and engages in a huge scavanger hunt is an absolute blast. I love the way this story seamlessly weaves in real-life issues like anxiety, friendship and family challenges, and the pain, frustration, and logistics of getting your first period away from home during your dream camp. Rayana and her friends are so funny, interesting, supportive, and resilient that I think young readers will truly connect with them and reflect on how they're dealing with some of the same challenges in their own lives. Highly recommend this fab book! See you in the stars my friends!!!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews