See Stargazing for Beginners in our catalogue.
15-year-old Meg wants to be an astronaut and she has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win a schools’ competition and visit NASA. Sounds a cinch but she hates public speaking, and her Disney-obsessed, free-spirited mother has headed off to Myanmar leaving Meg in charge of her baby sister, Elsa, for two weeks.
Thus begins Meg’s challenge: to survive the next two weeks without her mother, keep on top of her schoolwork, look after Elsa and deliver a prize-winning speech all without her teachers or Elsa’s nursery finding out they have been left on their own.
From the moment I started it, to the moment I turned the last page, I had a great big silly grin plastered all over my face. This book is brilliant. I loved Meg and her passion for space and science, her developing friendship in the Biscuit Club – if there are party ring biscuits, count me in – and her determination to make the best of things.
There are serious and thought-provoking moments, and I was infuriated with Meg’s mother when she disappeared off to Myanmar without a second thought for her children, but I laughed consistently all the way through. By the time I got to the end, I wanted to let out a little whoop of joy. It is a delight and I really hope we find out what happens next!