Blastaway

Gr 4-6–Kyler Centaurus does not get along with his family. His four brothers torment him constantly because he enjoys using his brain and they enjoy sports, and his parents always seem to take their side. Still, he didn’t intend to steal the family spaceship and head off into the solar system. But once he’s there, he decides he might as well do what he wants before his parents shut him down—see a new sun revealed by his scientist hero. But running into pirates and meeting a Wanderer girl were not anywhere in his plans. Meanwhile, Figerella Jameslot, the Wanderer girl, accepts a job from those same pirates because she’s desperate to survive, and because she enjoys blowing things up. After she and Kyler meet, they head off to Earth together in the Centaurus family ship. But things continue to go wrong, and soon the two find themselves trying to save Earth from complete destruction with only a damaged ship, a paranoid robot, and their own ingenuity to help. The two characters take turns telling their side of the story, which gives readers a chance to compare the very different perspectives and explore their motives. The creative details and action-packed plot make for an exciting read.