“There’s nowhere to hide on the world’s first moon base. After all, it’s only the size of a soccer field.” Yet, this doesn’t stop misfortune from rendering someone missing. With the Moon Base Alpha (MBA) base commander, Nina Stack, nowhere to be found, chaos spawns between the residents on the moon. Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs is an astonishing novel where the mystery never ends. At only twelve years of age, Dashiell (Dash) Gibson is the best detective they’ve got. No one on the base has found footsteps darker than he has. While this confounding enigma takes place, an alien from a distant species, Zan Perfonic, remains in contact with Dash. Rather than traveling to the moon in an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO), Zan “thinks” itself to the moon. Zan connects its mind to Dash to project an image of itself before him, but no one else can see it. The only other human being that Zan had come in contact with before was Dr. Ronald Holtz, a brilliant scientist who played a key role in the creation of MBA. Unfortunately, Dr. Holtz was murdered by a fellow resident on the moon because of his contact with an alien. Despite this incident, Zan communicated with humanity again, an action that the rest of its species did not approve of. On the other hand, the people at MBA were beginning to believe that Nina had ventured out onto the lunar surface. Due to MBA’s small size, she could hide nowhere. After discovering more and more clues about Nina’s mystifying disappearance, Dash and the other Moonies began to get closer to unraveling a seemingly never-ending riddle. Once they solved the puzzle, they realized that the answer was hiding in plain sight. This book reminded me of the Chandrayaan-3 space mission, an Indian rocket sent to the moon recently. Unlike many that have been sent to the moon in the past, the rocket went to the south pole of the moon, a place that is yet to be explored by the human race. This mission is similar to Spaced Out because it shows that humanity is one step closer to eventually creating a moon base in real life, just like Moon Base Alpha (MBA) in Spaced Out. Overall, Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs is a spectacular novel that exceeded my expectations. The author did a brilliant job creating this book, and I recommend it to other middle-aged readers around 10-14. Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2017. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Stuart Gibbs
Space Case, Reviewed by Arjun Nair, 11
Dashiell Gibson is the luckiest 12-year-old on Earth, although he sees it through a different lens. The truth is, no one on Moon Base Alpha (MBA) feels different about their “extraordinary” opportunity. As this is the first-ever moon base to exist in 2040, everyone has their fair share of responsibilities. In Space Case, Stuart Gibbs shows how in the end, some of the limitations of the moon will always hold back humanity, or at least for now. Dash’s only friend at MBA is Roddy, another boy just one year older than him. Back on Earth, they probably wouldn’t have been friends. However, because they were the only ones around the same age, they didn’t get to choose. The story kicks off when a spaceship arrives with more people after Dr. Holtz’s murder. Well, that was what Dash assumed. The noble scientist stepped out of the air-lock alone and died immediately. With surprising persistence for a twelve-year-old, Dash continues to state that Holtz was murdered, which makes everyone else at the base think he is going mad. Kira, another twelve-year-old, has just arrived on the spaceship with new arrivals, and after hearing Dash’s theory, she starts to help him investigate. Along with her, a very mysterious character joins him in the quest to discover the cause of Holtz’s murder. Eventually, the suspects narrowed down to just a few, and to prove their theory, Dash and Kira go on a dangerous mission. But when they all think that everything is finally making sense, confusion rings the doorbell. I connected with Dash deeply because I just started middle school this year, and there is a significant change in everything, including the environment. In his case, Dash had to adjust to the new life at MBA and learn to cope with everything. This connection made the book an even better experience for me, which is why I recommend it. Overall, Space Case by Stuart Gibbs had me waiting with bated breath on every page. This thrilling mystery novel with hints of humor is the perfect read for any young reader around 9-14. As I progressed through the book, every page surprised me beyond comprehension. Even after completing the book, I wondered what would happen next, which meant that I had to read the next book in the series to satisfy the rising suspense, of course! Space Case by Stuart Gibbs. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2015. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Poached, Reviewed by Aditi, 12
Have you ever been accused of something awful that you did not commit? Was the evidence leading up to your conviction? Well, Teddy Fitzroy, the protagonist in Poached by Stuart Gibbs, succumbed to this unfortunate fate! Teddy is twelve years old and lives in a trailer right outside of the world’s largest zoo, Funjungle. After an encounter with the school’s bully, Vance, Teddy’s life gets turned around. The one and only prized koala, Kazoo, goes missing, and the entire zoo suspects Teddy for stealing the koala! Poached is an adventure-packed mystery book delicately garnished with sprinkles of humor. Gibbs engages the reader with several twists and cliff-hangers, beautifully weaving in the concept of perseverance! After being filmed entering and exiting the koala exhibit—with a full backpack— Teddy is convicted of stealing Kazoo. No one believes Teddy, and the police find koala droppings and fur in his room. The entire zoo suspects Teddy and won’t let go of their suspicions. With all of the evidence leading up to his conviction, Teddy is determined to prove his innocence and find the real thief. Even if Teddy’s innocence seemed impossible to prove, his loving parents stayed by his side the whole time. Since Teddy’s parents work at the zoo, they tried their best to find the real thief: from searching security cameras to locating possible suspects. Even if Teddy’s parents want him to stay out of the crime scene, Teddy insisted on helping out. One person who is entirely against Teddy and accuses him of committing the crime is Large Marge. She is the head guard and will believe any evidence she gets, even if it is false! Teddy’s determination to find the real thief made him successful! He would dress up as Funjungle mascots to stay undercover and walk around to find anything suspicious. Being ever so determined, he constantly begged his parents to show him the security feed. After watching the recordings repeatedly, Teddy and his parents figured out that Kazoo was stolen four days before Teddy’s accusation. To replace the stolen koala, the thief placed a realistic-looking stuffed animal instead! I stumbled upon Poached during an impromptu trip to the bookstore. As I scanned through the store shelves, the picture of a sad koala caught my attention. I love koalas, and the cover instantly piqued my interest. Koalas are threatened and harmed. The book sheds light on the fact that the koala population is dwindling. Gibbs chose this precious animal to show that their species need protection from habitat destructors and koala-nappers. “While I was thrilled to see Marge get dressed down and hugely relieved to be proved innocent, I was still worried about Kazoo.” reflects Teddy’s concern for the kidnapped koala, even though he was successful in proving his innocence. Packed with a valuable message of grit and perseverance, Poached is the epitome of the dire need to protect and preserve the animal population. If you like mystery books with the perfect blend of humor, Poached is the right book for you! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves animals and detective work. Poaching and habitat destruction require some thought– we need to prevent it at any cost! If we can all live in harmony with these precious animals and leave behind our selfish interests, our world will be a much better place. Poached by Stuart Gibbs. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2015. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
