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Astrid the Astronaut #1
The Astronomically Grand Plan
In this first book of a brand new-chapter book series, a young girl is determined to be the first astronaut with hearing aids in space!
Astrid can’t wait for the school year to start so she can put her Astronomically Grand Plan into action! She and her best friend, Hallie, are going to be in their first year of Shooting Stars, a club dedicated to all things space. Astrid’s big sister has told her all about it, and this year, there is a big, wonderful a trip to a real-life space camp!
But Astrid’s Grand Plan isn’t off to a great it turns out Hallie is more interested in the art club, Petite Picassos! And Astrid isn’t sure that her goal of exploring space will happen the same way without her BFF by her side. Can Astrid figure out a way to complete her mission?
Astrid can’t wait for the school year to start so she can put her Astronomically Grand Plan into action! She and her best friend, Hallie, are going to be in their first year of Shooting Stars, a club dedicated to all things space. Astrid’s big sister has told her all about it, and this year, there is a big, wonderful a trip to a real-life space camp!
But Astrid’s Grand Plan isn’t off to a great it turns out Hallie is more interested in the art club, Petite Picassos! And Astrid isn’t sure that her goal of exploring space will happen the same way without her BFF by her side. Can Astrid figure out a way to complete her mission?
105 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 5, 2022
3 people are currently reading
2667 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 5, 2022
Really well-done! My children and I both enjoyed this book and its sequel and look forward to more in this promising new series. Love the representation! The STEM content is very good and there's a good message of navigating friendships -- for example, when a current friend's interests diverge from yours and also in trying to make new friends. I appreciate that the sibling relationship here is respectful and cooperative. Astrid is a likeable protagonist. In this first book, Astrid's outside-the-box thinking and her hearing aide play an important role in mission in their after school space club. It's a cute series with two books out so far. The author is an audiologist. No Deaf characters in the book, but the author touches briefly on the Deaf community and ASL in her Author's Note.
May 8, 2025
- A reality of childhood friendships: when one friend outgrows the thing they both love 🥲
- All the space excitement!
- Astrid learning to use what she already has instead of being jealous with what others have
- The space club!
- All their missions sounded so fun and perfect for the
- I loved Astridʻs relationship with her older sister: looking up to her as a role model and her sister wanting her to thrive!
- Deaf/HoH rep
- All the space excitement!
- Astrid learning to use what she already has instead of being jealous with what others have
- The space club!
- All their missions sounded so fun and perfect for the
- I loved Astridʻs relationship with her older sister: looking up to her as a role model and her sister wanting her to thrive!
- Deaf/HoH rep
October 24, 2022
I love this first book in a STEM-centered chapter book series featuring a young MC with hearing aids! There's friend drama, teaches problem-solving to kids in a child-friendly manner, and highlights the power of teamwork. I can't wait until my daughter is old enough to read this.
October 20, 2025
Children’s Materials class book #2. This was adorable
September 12, 2022
Astronaut dreams mix with friendship and determination in a fun chapter book with a character, who promises so much more adventure to come.
Astrid and her best friend have grand plans to become astronauts, but without a single word, the best friend backs out and leaves Astrid to tackle the first year of the Shooting Stars club alone. Astrid feels like a lost asteroid but is still determined to be the best in the club and win a scholarship, although third graders are said never to win. Her hopes, though, quickly go into free-fall as she's faced with a new partner and can't seem to get a peep out of her, maybe, ex-bestie.
This is a fun tale about a girl, who has a dream and is ready to fight for it. It's very realistic as she joins the after-school space club and tries to solve the given puzzles...all which are realistic for the age group. She comes across as a very normal girl, who could be in any classroom. She does have difficulties hearing and wears as hearing aide, but that only makes her more interesting. It's by no means the main plot or aspect of the story, which made it come across extremely natural. Plus, it makes her dream that much more worth rooting for.
The story flows very smoothly and doesn't hold any boring moments. The problems never dig in overly deep, keeping it right at the intended age group's level. There are lovely illustrations peppered through the pages, which not only offer fun for readers but help bring across Astrid better. It's great for those readers, who have a good grip on words, but aren't ready to dive into even lower, middle grade reads quite yet.
Of course, there are messages of friendship, including finding new friends and accepting that interests change, but these slide right in with the rest of the tale. And there's the STEM aspect, too, with little bits of general information sprinkled in here and there. It's a great start to a new series and already has me excited to see where Astrid's journey will take her next. I received an ARC and found this to be an easy, fun read.
Astrid and her best friend have grand plans to become astronauts, but without a single word, the best friend backs out and leaves Astrid to tackle the first year of the Shooting Stars club alone. Astrid feels like a lost asteroid but is still determined to be the best in the club and win a scholarship, although third graders are said never to win. Her hopes, though, quickly go into free-fall as she's faced with a new partner and can't seem to get a peep out of her, maybe, ex-bestie.
This is a fun tale about a girl, who has a dream and is ready to fight for it. It's very realistic as she joins the after-school space club and tries to solve the given puzzles...all which are realistic for the age group. She comes across as a very normal girl, who could be in any classroom. She does have difficulties hearing and wears as hearing aide, but that only makes her more interesting. It's by no means the main plot or aspect of the story, which made it come across extremely natural. Plus, it makes her dream that much more worth rooting for.
The story flows very smoothly and doesn't hold any boring moments. The problems never dig in overly deep, keeping it right at the intended age group's level. There are lovely illustrations peppered through the pages, which not only offer fun for readers but help bring across Astrid better. It's great for those readers, who have a good grip on words, but aren't ready to dive into even lower, middle grade reads quite yet.
Of course, there are messages of friendship, including finding new friends and accepting that interests change, but these slide right in with the rest of the tale. And there's the STEM aspect, too, with little bits of general information sprinkled in here and there. It's a great start to a new series and already has me excited to see where Astrid's journey will take her next. I received an ARC and found this to be an easy, fun read.
May 4, 2023
First sentence: I tapped my clock for the millionth time: 12:06 a.m. The numbers flashed off like they always did. As if they were mad I'd woken them up.
Premise/plot: Astrid, the protagonist, dreams of being the first astronaut in space with hearing aids. Space is literally all she thinks about. Okay, not fair exactly. She also emphatically wants her friend, Hallie, to be equally obsessed with space and to share the exact same hopes and dreams--Shooting Stars club, Space Camp, Space. But this third grader is to be disappointed in part. Her best friend wants art club, not the Shooting Stars. And she doesn't seem interested at all--not even a little bit--in listening to her friend talk about space. (Did she ever?) So if friendship is important to Astrid, perhaps it's time to make new friends in Shooting Stars.
My thoughts: I liked this one. It has potential. I don't regret my time reading it by any means. I would probably check out other books from the library in this series. I'm not sure I'd be terribly upset if the library didn't order them all. But it was enjoyable enough. I think future books might have more story.
Premise/plot: Astrid, the protagonist, dreams of being the first astronaut in space with hearing aids. Space is literally all she thinks about. Okay, not fair exactly. She also emphatically wants her friend, Hallie, to be equally obsessed with space and to share the exact same hopes and dreams--Shooting Stars club, Space Camp, Space. But this third grader is to be disappointed in part. Her best friend wants art club, not the Shooting Stars. And she doesn't seem interested at all--not even a little bit--in listening to her friend talk about space. (Did she ever?) So if friendship is important to Astrid, perhaps it's time to make new friends in Shooting Stars.
My thoughts: I liked this one. It has potential. I don't regret my time reading it by any means. I would probably check out other books from the library in this series. I'm not sure I'd be terribly upset if the library didn't order them all. But it was enjoyable enough. I think future books might have more story.
October 5, 2025
Honestly, it is not my typical read but it was fun to read! The diversity of characters are amazing especially with the deaf community and having goals that has never been reached yet! I love that message for young girls who are different and want to achieve their dreams! I also love how it touches friendships and the way your friends may grow and change. Having to find new solutions to a problem is impotent to learn as well! I’m not into space that much but any kid that is should pick up this book!
September 22, 2025
i saw on instagram that this had a deaf/hoh character in it and i thought the premise sounded interesting so i picked it up! and what a cute story! great read for kids. great lessons. real cute.
i was hoping it would have ASL in it but of course not every deaf/hoh kid is able to learn or use asl which was the case here. i appreciated the realistic take while also making her hoh-ness a part of the plot.
i was hoping it would have ASL in it but of course not every deaf/hoh kid is able to learn or use asl which was the case here. i appreciated the realistic take while also making her hoh-ness a part of the plot.
December 17, 2023
Very cute- Astrid Peterson is a third grader who loves space. She plans to be the first astronaut who wears hearing aids. The first step in her Astronomically Grand Plan is to join the Shooting Stars club at school. She learns about making new friends, problem solving, and staying friends with her bestie Hallie, who is more interested in art than space.
September 26, 2024
This was a very cute book. I appreciated that Astrid had hearing aids, and it was mentioned how they work and such, but it wasn’t the main focal point. Friendship and trying things in new ways were prominent themes, which was very appropriate for a third-grade main character. I’m excited to share this one with students!
December 14, 2022
Kids who are into STEM will genuinely enjoy the problem solving activities, but there is also a little bit of friendship drama resolution complete with genuine apologies after impulsive behavior. I loved that Astrid's hearing aid turns out to be advantage instead of a liability!
March 13, 2023
Space fans will love this new chapter book series about a third grader who wants to be the first astronaut with hearing aid. When her plans to achieve this goal with her best friend doesn't go the way she expects, she must learn to course correct or give up altogether.
November 23, 2024
This book was so great. It was short, but so much was packed into it. Appreciating differences, friendship, STEM, hearing impairment, and thinking outside the box. I really liked the main character and the secondary characters as well. An all-around win!
May 1, 2025
My 5-year-old loved the book, and I loved to read it to her. Chapters are short enough to make 1-2 chapters a manageable bedtime story, and the problems the main character faces are relatable to a young reader/listener.
September 29, 2025
Cute little book. Discovers true friendship even as you grow older and differences are more apparent. It discusses how you can have different sets of friends but still have time and space for your old best friend even with different interests. Good clean book that was worth the read for sure!
August 27, 2022
This is such a beautifully written and illustrated book. It is also great to show Astrid reaching for her dreams and believing in herself. I love a book that features women in STEM
February 10, 2023
Children’s lit class — super cute, not a wonderful conclusion tho
March 4, 2023
4.5 stars for this fun and engaging early middle grades chapter book. I know several 2nd-4th graders who will really enjoy this series!
March 8, 2023
Fun early chapter books series that has a main character with hearing loss and focuses on STEM. I enjoyed it enough that I might read others it the series too!
August 20, 2023
A good start to a series for younger readers - could work well with precocious readers ready for chapter books, but too young for older themes.
February 13, 2024
My 8 yo daughter LOVES these books. And I love them for her…
February 25, 2024
A cute story about a girl who loves space and is excited to finally be in the Shooting Stars after school space themed club.
March 31, 2024
My daughter loved this, and so did I. A really good read!
April 27, 2024
I love this book. Perfect for my soon to be 3rd grader. Teamwork, disappointment, problem-solving, humility, and forgiveness.
August 16, 2025
Great for discussing how to stay true to yourself, how to be flexible and change goals, and how to make friends in spite of competition.
September 4, 2025
Had to read this for my kids summer reading. My kids and I couldn’t not get in to it at all.
October 2, 2023
Good early chapter book for kids that like space. And a great deaf protagonist.
December 13, 2022
A cute book I read aloud to my second graders!
May 13, 2024
Great book to get children into science, also love that the main character has a hearing aid. And shows how she’s still able to do it all. GREAT!
March 9, 2022
(truth in reviewing, the advanced reader's copy was loaned to me not won on a giveaway)
This was a lot of fun. I enjoyed Astrid and look forward to reading more of the books.
Ten year-old Astrid is seriously focused on space exploration and has joined a club at school devoted to the topic. Along the way she has to learn she isn't quite as smart as she thinks she is and there are different ways to be smart. She finds that her best friend has different dreams than she does which leads to the inevitable THEN WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS speech, which gets resolved through good writing (it isn't forced, Rie Neal proves to be a better writer than most).
She has an annoying big Sister - smug, overbearing, wise, usually right and still a better friend than anybody except Mom.
The only thing i didn't like about the book is Astrid has a favorite comic book/strip, book or cartoon character called Astrocat (Spacecat?) which is shown on the first page and under the chapter headings and mentioned several times in the book. But we don't know why she likes the character and i hope the published book has a three or four page story at the end so the reader can see the attraction. ( i write this a dog lover and don't understand the appeal of ratcatchers so maybe that's my bias, still i don't think it unfair to want to know what is so special about the character, unless its just a set-up for another series.)
This was a lot of fun. I enjoyed Astrid and look forward to reading more of the books.
Ten year-old Astrid is seriously focused on space exploration and has joined a club at school devoted to the topic. Along the way she has to learn she isn't quite as smart as she thinks she is and there are different ways to be smart. She finds that her best friend has different dreams than she does which leads to the inevitable THEN WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS speech, which gets resolved through good writing (it isn't forced, Rie Neal proves to be a better writer than most).
She has an annoying big Sister - smug, overbearing, wise, usually right and still a better friend than anybody except Mom.
The only thing i didn't like about the book is Astrid has a favorite comic book/strip, book or cartoon character called Astrocat (Spacecat?) which is shown on the first page and under the chapter headings and mentioned several times in the book. But we don't know why she likes the character and i hope the published book has a three or four page story at the end so the reader can see the attraction. ( i write this a dog lover and don't understand the appeal of ratcatchers so maybe that's my bias, still i don't think it unfair to want to know what is so special about the character, unless its just a set-up for another series.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews