Children’s eAudio title for June: A Moon Girl Stole My Friend

About the book

It’s 2099. Lyla lives in a world of robocats, flying sweets and instant snow, but some things never change. Little brothers are still annoying, school teachers make you cringe, and, when your best friend deserts you for the new girl, it still HURTS. Especially when that new girl is from the Moon. But Lyla’s problems lead her into unexpected adventures . . .

About the author

Rebecca Patterson studied Fashion before going on to do the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University. Here, she won the Macmillan Prize for her picture book, The Deep End. Another picture book, My Big Shouting Day!, won the prestigious Roald Dahl Funny Prize and was chosen for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Program. Rebecca lives in Cambridge with a husband, teenagers and an elderly pug dog.

There are printable activities for A Moon Girl Stole my Friend on the Reading Agency website.

Get talking

• The book is set in 2099 – what details did you enjoy about this version of the future? Is it how you imagine the world might be in 70 years?
• Can you relate to the descriptions of the friendships in this story – have you ever felt that way?
• What is your favourite moment in the book?
• Which everyday objects from now do you think might be in a museum in 2099 and what would they tell the people of the future about us?
• Have you read any other science fiction books? Can you imagine this story in a different genre?
• Lyra has a re-chargeable cat. If you could have a robotic pet what would you choose and why?
• Which of the characters would you like to meet in real life?
• Would the book make a good film?
• Does this story have a message?
• Who would you recommend this book to?

Creative writing prompts

• Design your own cyber-pet – what kind of animal is it? What makes it ‘cyber’? Which features are similar to a real animal and which are different? What would you call it?

• Write a menu for 2099 – be creative with your foodie thoughts and language. What kinds of food will we be eating in 2099? How will cooking have changed? Will we all be eating vita-tabs like Lyla?

• Create a job advert for 2099 – Think of a brand new career. What kinds of new jobs will have been created? Which jobs that exist now will still exist then and why?

• Do some 2099 travel writing – document your trip to the moon or through space or to different planets. How did you travel? Who did you meet? What did you see?

• Describe a journey through a city in 2099 – how will people travel to work in 2099? Will cities be greener or more urban? Will we still use cars or will totally new forms of transport be invented? What will cities actually look like in 2099?

Craft activities

Join Kate in making a cardboard spaceship climbing toy and get some ideas for creating a rocket ship and astronaut outfit for one of your own toys.

You can find written instructions for the spaceship climbing toy here.

Or why not make your own loo roll shuttle?

This is an ideal title for a children’s online reading group. More book titles and a guide to setting a group up →

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