Far Out!
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
From the author of Blue Skies comes a lively middle grade novel about a young, alien-loving girl trying to clear her grandmother’s name in this mystery that has humor, hijinks, and heart in equal measure.
It’s 1964, the Space Race is well underway, and eleven-year-old Magnolia Jean Crook and the other residents of Totter, Texas, are over the moon about UFOs.
The whole town is gearing up for the First Annual Come on Down Day—in just one week, they are hoping to host any and all space aliens who would like to visit Earth. But right before the kick-off party, a meteorite goes missing—and MJ’s beloved grandmother Mimi, who is the vice president of the Totter Unidentified Flying Object Organization, is the prime suspect.
MJ is desperate to show the town that this Crook is not a thief. The only problem is that there is a lot of evidence against her, and Mimi herself isn’t helping things. She’s acting suspiciously, pulling disappearing acts, and worst of all, can’t seem to answer any questions about where she was or what she was doing.
But much like UFOs, extraterrestrial visitations, and sending people to space, the impossible has been known to happen.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Cosmic questions merge with terrestrial affairs in this unhurried small-town mystery from Bustard (Blue Skies). Magnolia Jean Crook—sheriff's daughter, staunch believer in alien life, and aspiring detective—is as excited as anyone in 1964 Totter, Tex., for the upcoming First Annual Come On Down Day. Organized by funeral home owner Mr. Harrington for a local UFO organization's 10th anniversary, the event is intended to both capitalize on the region's history of otherworldly sightings and to attract "any and all space aliens who wish to visit. No RSVP required." The event hits a snag when a prized, anonymously owned meteorite integral to the festivities is stolen from the local library. Magnolia, in partnership with sixth grade classmate Nick Lawless, a drummer, swears to get to the bottom of the heist. When the meteorite is discovered in the shed of Magnolia's beloved and increasingly forgetful grandmother, the duo doubles down on their sleuthing to clear her name and bolster Totter's waning morale. A sometimes meandering plot centers solidly on the book's compassionate protagonist, whose colloquial narrative reflects the town's quirky affability, offers a loving view of an intergenerational relationship, and touches on themes of memory and belief. Magnolia reads as white; context clues hint at the town's diversity. An author's note concludes. Ages 8–12.
