Sky Watcher

Jada Jones #5

by Kelly Starling Lyons, Nneka Myers (Illustrator)

Jada Jones is back for the fifth book of this popular, celebrated series perfect for STEM fans!

"Readers who love Ivy and Bean or Katie Woo will want to meet Jada Jones." --School Library Journal

Jada is excited to do a school project about her hero Dr. Mae Jemison, a former NASA astronaut and the first Black woman to travel to outer space. She even gets to pretend to be her for the presentation in front of her teacher, parents, and friends! But when Jada's research reminds her how accomplished her hero truly is, she suddenly feels like she's made a mistake. How can she portray someone who seems to have everything together when she feels like she's falling apart?

Praise for Jada Jones: Rock Star
"Fast-paced, with supersimple vocabulary and a smattering of earth science to spark interest in young rock collectors everywhere." --Kirkus Reviews

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 9, 2021

About the author

Kelly Starling Lyons is an award-winning author whose 17 titles for children span easy readers, picture books, chapter books, fiction, nonfiction, and series. For more than a decade, Lyons has been creating inspiring books that center Black heroes, celebrate family, friendship and heritage and show all children the storyteller they hold inside. Her acclaimed titles include Going Down Home with Daddy, Sing a Song: How Lift Every Voice & Sing Inspired Generations, Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon, Tiara's Hat Parade and the Jada Jones chapter book series. Her new easy reader series with illustrator Nina Mata, Ty's Travels, debuts September 1. The first book, All Aboard, earned a starred Kirkus review.

Lyons counts Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, Best of the Year and state award lists, Junior Library Guild selections, a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor among the accolades her books have received. Two of her books, Hope's Gift and Going Down Home with Daddy, have represented the states of North Carolina and Georgia, respectively, at the National Book Festival's Parade of the States.

Lyons is a founding member of The Brown Bookshelf, a team dedicated to raising awareness of Black children's book creators, a Raleigh-Durham co-ambassador for The Authors Guild, and a teaching artist who visits schools, libraries, conferences and festivals nationwide. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and children where she facilitates a book club for boys that salutes literary treasures from Black authors and illustrators of today and the past. Learn more at www.kellystarlinglyons.com.

Reviews

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love these books. Jada Jones is a 4th grade girl with a heart of gold and a love of science. This book is about a school project in which all the kids have to pick a famous person from history to research and become. She picks Mae Jemison-- the first black woman in space. She feels a little intimated by her and by the project but then she finds out that even Mae had fears as a kid and had to overcome a lot to be who she was. In this book Jada struggles with jealousy and some other feelings that are uncomfortable and unnatural for her and she recognizes that and searches for the source and I just loved it. She made it right when she acted inappropriately on some of those feelings and she is just such a good character. Maybe not 100% accurate to what a 4th grader is actually like, but I still love her.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read from the series. My 7 y/o loves them. Jada is relatable and her love for science makes the STEM aspects of the book exciting for the reader. I enjoyed that this book included information on Dr Mae Jemison too.

[Alina Karapandzich · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love Mae Jameson!