Space Detectives

Space Detectives

By Author / Illustrator

Mark Powers, Dapo Adeola

Genre

Science Fiction

Age range(s)

7+

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

ISBN

9781526603180

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

04-02-2021

Synopsis

Dog lost in space? Grown an extra head and don't know why? Pocket money stolen by a green blob? You need the Space Detectives!


Connor and Ethan are spending their summer holidays aboard the world's first orbiting city, Starville (basically Beverley Hills in space!). The amazing space station is bursting with celebrities and the mega-rich. But Connor and Ethan are too busy selling ice cream to see the sights.However, neither of our heroes can resist a mystery and when they discover the space station is hurtling on a collision course with the moon (eep!) they know they need to step in. This is a case for the SPACE DETECTIVES!  Can Connor and Ethan find the culprit and save Starville from its impending doom?


LOOK OUT FOR SPACE DETECTIVES: EXTRA WEIRD CREATURES.  'Immensely, cheerily silly' The Guardian.

Reviews

Hayley

Space Detectives is the new and thrilling book by Mark Powers, with phenomenal illustrations by Dapo Adeola. This exciting detective story is jam-packed with aliens, crazy inventions, and a villain intent on destroying the world!

During the six weeks holidays, Connor and Ethan are sent to Starville - an amazing space station orbiting the Earth - to work in the ice-cream parlour whilst staying with Connor's Uncle Nick. Connor and Ethan are no strangers to being detectives and they relish every opportunity to carry out such work, so when the opportunity arises one day when they witness a mugging of a customer (Edwina) from the ice-cream parlour, they jump at the chance to be Space detectives and solve the case. However, little do they know that what they have witnessed will lead them into having to solve a much bigger problem - saving Starville from complete mass destruction!

As a 'thank you' for helping during the mugging, Edwina invites Connor and Ethan to a party being held by her mother - the Supreme Governor of Starville. On hearing their good news, Uncle Nick insists on helping out Connor and Ethan by giving them his new invention of a smart suit to wear to the party, but Uncle Nick warns them to be vigilant as he does not trust the Supreme Governor. During the party, a shocking announcement is made on TV, which leads Edwina, Connor, and Ethan to delve into the mystery and find the culprit responsible for trying to destroy Starville. The clock is ticking so they must act fast!

On the quest to unearth the truth, they are faced with perilous beasts, plunged into outer space, and discover that trust should be earned, not given out freely. I love how fast-paced this story is and how, as a reader, we are connected to the characters through marvellous illustrations and straight away taken on a roller-coaster ride to unravel the mystery.

I would highly recommend this book as a class story to Key stage 1 and 2 because it is fun and full of exciting new aliens and quirky characters.

142 pages / Age 7+ / Reviewed by Hayley Summerfield, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+

 

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