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Space Detectives

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Dog lost in space? Grown an extra head and don't know why? Pocket money stolen by a green blob? You need the Space Detectives!

Connor and Ethan are spending their summer holidays aboard the world's first orbiting city, Starville (basically Beverley Hills in space!). The amazing space station is bursting with celebrities and the mega-rich. But Connor and Ethan are too busy selling ice cream to see the sights.

However, neither of our heroes can resist a mystery and when they discover the space station is hurtling on a collision course with the moon (eep!) they know they need to step in. This is a case for the SPACE DETECTIVES!

Can Connor and Ethan find the culprit and save Starville from its impending doom?

110 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 4, 2021

5 people are currently reading
32 people want to read

About the author

Mark Powers

168 books22 followers
Mark Powers is the writer who created several of the graphic novels adapted The Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher and co-writer of The Encoded from Devil's Due comics. He is a writer at Mega Powers Entertainment and a producer at Volta. At Mega Powers Entertainment he has written comic books and graphic adaptations for various companies including Drafted, Rest, GI Joe, and adaptations of The Dresden Files. He was also a Senior Editor at Marvel managing the X-Men line of titles.

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5 stars
9 (16%)
4 stars
24 (43%)
3 stars
18 (32%)
2 stars
1 (1%)
1 star
3 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Sara Pourhassani.
Author 11 books44 followers
May 14, 2022
از هر شکلی از دروغ غیرعلمی در داستانهای کودکانه متنفرم. به نظرم بحث خیال انگیز بودن و غیرواقعی بودن و گمانه زنی کاملاً جدا از دروغ های غیرعلمی اثبات شده هست.
Profile Image for Genevieve.
483 reviews31 followers
October 26, 2022
Funny and fast-paced. I do feel that the prologue entirely told you who was the bag guy anyway. I know I'm not a young reader anymore, but it was pretty predictable no matter what age you are.
485 reviews5 followers
April 26, 2025
Space Detectives is a science fiction and private investigation book for kids, by Mark Powers, and illustrated by Dapo Adeola. It begins with the main characters, Connor and Ethan, selling ice creams. They’re 10-year-olds who find themselves unravelling a mystery when they find out that Starville, the space station they’re on, is going to crash into the moon.

My first thought about it is that it’s a fun little book. It’s very fast paced and it takes readers on a little bit of an adventure. I got a copy from the BorrowBox catalogue of my local library and I think it’s definitely worth a read. I’m sure that a lot of kids will love it. For me, it’s not the most well written book. Mainly because there are a lot of general tropes that the book follows and a lot of it feels unoriginal, in my opinion. Though, I think the author has made a good attempt to keep it exciting.

The illustrator has done brilliant work. The book is so full of art and there’s great imagery of what’s happening in the story. The main characters shown look really well done, as are the characters in the backgrounds of the scenes. There’s some exciting alien creatures. And it’s great to see the scenery, too.

Overall, I think it’s an okay book. As a book for children, I’m sure many young readers will absolutely love it. I think that both the author and illustrator have done good work on the book.
Profile Image for Nikki.
1,072 reviews58 followers
February 7, 2021
I received this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute middle-grade read and, with a name like Space Detectives, I knew I had to try it.

Our leads and Connor and Ethan, two boys spending their summer in Starville. They mention being detectives at home and are on the lookout for a mystery while serving ice cream. They finally get a case when the space station announces it is on course to crash into the moon!

The art is fun and gorgeous, really adding to the tale. The story is a little younger than my normal middle grades, but definitely an entertaining read.

My only real quibble is about the science - I don't expect it to be spot on, but there's something impossible that I feel should have been changed to something more realistic. Any science-savvy kids could well spot it and be put off from what is an otherwise fun read. That said, I love the concept of the smart suit, and I really want one! That's the fun sort of science ;)

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this to its target age range but feel it probably loses the broader appeal of the other middle-grades I read. 3 stars.
Profile Image for Sabrina.
1,619 reviews36 followers
November 9, 2021
Connor and Ethan are detectives, having solved lots of mysteries on Earth. But now they have an opportunity to be SPACE DETECTIVES! Working at Ethan's uncle's ice cream stall gives them the chance to stay in Starville and explore somewhere completely different.

Space is one of my passions so books with anyone going to space always catch my eye, and Starville sounds amazing! Orbiting around the Earth and full of so many alien species, I would love to visit and wouldn't even mind living there. I loved the prologue, bringing in a very mysterious evil and sinister character. Then there are the other hilarious character introductions: Connor - tall, gawky and looked a bit like an ostrich wearing glasses. Ethan - short, squat and constantly bristling with energy like a terrier. The race to save Starville from colliding with the moon was thrilling and this was a really fun book to read.
Profile Image for Donna Maguire.
4,895 reviews120 followers
February 15, 2021
https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I really enjoyed this book!

It had a great mix of characters and they were well developed and their interaction was spot on for the age range. It was an entertaining read and I liked the characters from the different planets too.

The illustrations were great and really added to the book too and helped bring it to life.

A great and fun read for little space fans out there – it is 5 stars from me for this one and I can see this being a great series! Very highly recommended
Profile Image for Natalie Gardner.
169 reviews2 followers
February 12, 2022
This was mine and Riley's first bedtime book of the year and it didn't disappoint. Riley couldn't wait to read more every night which I think says a lot about his feelings about it!

The two main characters were fun and well written, each with different personalities and traits. There were great illustrations and the dialogue was perfect for the recommended age group. The author invented a world full of aliens that me and Riley both loved hearing about - especially the names - which along with the illustrations, bought the story to life.

Lots of fun and humour - this will be a hit if you have little ones who enjoy a chapter book that isn't too long.
Profile Image for Moon.
397 reviews45 followers
February 7, 2021
This was a fun read but I struggled with the whole "throwing them out to space and they survive magically" it had no reason to be and could've been done better. I know that it already has some bending of space rules but this was a bit too much and just wasn't necessary, it didn't add to the value of it except raise the already high stakes for nothing.
Profile Image for Steph.
1,450 reviews87 followers
February 17, 2021
This was great fun! Space, detectives, alien creatures and brilliant illustrations? What more does one need! Loved the twist on the characters and who truly was the evil genius in the end! I would be a rubbish Space Detective! I think this would be super popular in Year 3/4!
Profile Image for Q.
179 reviews18 followers
Read
March 17, 2021
Read for work, but def still counting it towards my reading goal hehehe
Profile Image for Jessica  Formosa .
348 reviews
April 16, 2023
A fantastical space adventure!! Very good reading material for pre-teen children, my daughter will love this a lot!
10 reviews
January 24, 2024
At the start Ethan and Connor both got splatted in the face by ice cream, it was hilarious
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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