Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Cat Moves to Outer Space (Best Friends in Space #1)

Cat Moves to Outer Space (Best Friends in Space #1)
By: Debora Geary & Shae Geary
Illustrated by:  EJ Lowell
ISBN:  2940013358126
Published September 11, 2011 by Fireweed Publishing
Available Format:  ebook

My Rating: ★★★★★

When Cat’s parents take a job in a space ship’s biosphere, Cat is pretty bummed she has to leave her biosphere with her favorite tree and fresh grown foods.  Pretty soon, Cat is making some good and not-so-good friends and learning all kinds of neat things about space travel.  When Cat starts talking with her new plant friends, she learns that they aren’t happy with the way they are being cared for.  One bush in particular is very sick.  It is up to Cat and her friend Arkali to help the poor plant before it is too late.

This book is similar to the Magic Tree House series and is suitable for middle and upper elementary level readers.

First of all, I love anything that is written by a young author!  You can tell when an unhindered imagination contributes to a good book.  This easy, fun writing style is perfect for younger readers.  My son is six but reads on a 2nd or 3rd grade level, and this was perfect for him.  The full-page illustrations break up the story nicely and help give the reader a better visual of the characters and some of the scenes in the story.

I never imagined I’d be reading a book involving so much poop, but this was done in such an entertaining, honest way.  It was actually pretty educational, teaching kids about compost and natural fertilizer.  There is a lot more to properly taking care of plants, and it never hurts to play them a little music too. 

I am certain your kids will love Cat’s adventure on the space ship and the planet Draca as much as mine did.